Stargate Millennium: Chasing Ghosts
by StargateMillennium
Summary: A new spin-off: The Millennium Expedition is beaten and are in need of supplies and help. In a desperate gamble, Wolf Pack will seek out the final piece of the Alliance, the fourth race. They will embark on a quest to find the elusive Furlings.
1. Chapter 1

Previously on Stargate Millennium

The Millennium Expedition had just survived an attack from the Stargate Council: a political extremist group that accuses the SGC of war crimes against three galaxies. The attack has taken countless lives in the expedition and ravaged the city. The SG Council had intended on using Millennium as a staging area to take down the entire SGC. Their method of reconnecting with Earth: going to the gate address of a planet the Council says once belonged to the Furlings.

-.-

"Plumbing's backed up, several of the pipes are still leaking. The incinerator's offline so we need a temporary garbage storage. The heater's still broken so everyone's going to have to live with cold showers until that's fixed...or not take a shower at all."

Mercer listened carefully as Donavan listed all the problems the Millennium was facing. The city was a capital of the Alliance of Four Great races and it was now trashed after the bombings. Buildings were still in ruins and systems were still trashed. Donavan was even among the injured, paralyzed from the waist down and still getting used to his wheelchair. Mercer remembered how angry Donavan was when it happened but, since then, the young man has been getting used to his new condition.

"Thank you," Mercer replied, the old man stroking his mustache as he thought about what he was just told. "Have the papers ready on my desk."

"Yes, sir," Donavan said, turning his electric wheelchair down another hall while the General strolled off. He could feel the breeze against his skin as he stepped into the gate room. The recent bombings had left a massive hole in the wall behind the gate that had yet to be fixed. If it was not for the atmospheric barrier surrounding the entire city, they would all be exposed to space. The General continued up the stairs in front of the gate. A few days ago, these steps were covered in glass and metal, making a crunch with each footstep. Today, even that had been cleared. Mercer turned left at the top and went up to the conference room. The U-shaped table, now cleared of dust and litter, was once again polished and shiny, though the scratches created by the flying debris were still clearly seen. But, Mercer was not materialistic and proceeded to his usual seat. Wolf Pack was already there waiting for him. Major Terra Nova, Lieutenant Charles Martin, Doctor Steven Chen, Professor Corin Nevec, they were all waiting for the General as he took his seat. But, things were different from the usual conferences, he could feel it in their gazes.

"So then," Mercer opened. "As you all know, the Council attack on Millennium has left us in a bit of a predicament. We are now dangerously low on supplies across the board. We also lack material to repair the damage to the buildings. You can probably tell since we still have a hole in the wall behind the stargate. I have decided to give the green light on what may turn out to be a completely futile pursuit." Mercer paused for a moment to see if anyone had anything to say but Wolf Pack remained silent. "The Council has what they claim is the address to a major Furling planet."

The mere mention of the Furlings caught everyone's attention. The Furlings were known to all SGC personnel but both the Furlings and their technology remained elusive. Nova could only think of one piece of Furling technology: the transport portal that lead to a paradise moon. Aside from this, nothing was known of the Furlings. It was speculated that the arks used for rapid transit around Millennium were based off the same design but never confirmed.

"Professor Nevec," Mercer called out. "The Ror'char collect and study technology left behind from the Alliance of Four Great Races. Do you know of anything they made with Furling technology. Corin Nevec was their resident alien, seeking asylum from the Ror'char and used to be a professor teaching the subject.

"Actually," Corin said. "The Ror'char haven't had any luck with the Furlings. They've actually had better luck finding Nox technology. The Ror'char pretty much gave up on finding anything Furling related."

"That's two galaxies then," Nova remarked. "That's two galaxies where the Furlings used to be there but barely left anything behind. This has to be more than a coincidence." Even Charles Martin had to chirp in when he heard this.

"If they're so bloody hard to find, how did the Council get their hands on a gate address?" he asked.

"They might've found it in the Millennium's computers," Chen said. "We've been taking our time going through the database. My question is, what do we hope to achieve by going here?"

"We're low on supplies and we lack the resources to produce more," Mercer explained. "At worst, we can still cannibalize the ruins of their technology for resources. At best, we might get the chance to meet an actual Furling."

"The latter being less likely," Chen added.

"We need help, Doctor," Mercer reminded Steven Chen. "This may be a gamble that will turn up empty handed but it is a gamble I am willing to take. A MALP was already sent to the planet." The General proceeded to hand out several pictures to the team. They all looked at the images with very little reaction. It was an ice planet, or at least the stargate was located on an icy continent. There was little to see in any direction except for the white snow. But, against the white background, something gray stood out in the distance.

"What is that?" Corin asked, pointing at the gray thing barely visible on the camera. Mercer didn't bother answering when Nova handed Corin another image, one that had zoomed in on the thing. The gray object was a massive metal wall. Patches of snow and ice clung to the sides, dotting the dark gray structure with patches of white, but the wall still held strong.

"I recognize this symbol," Corin said, pointing at a marking half covered in snow on the wall. "That's the Sulibar Piracy emblem."

"Pirates?!" Martin repeated. Corin has often mentioned pirates that roam the galaxy but the expedition was still new around here so they had yet to meet any.

"In this galaxy, 'pirates' is a very broad description," Corin explained. "Yeah, a lot of the pirate groups are downright evil but plenty of them aren't bad. The Sulibar are sometimes called 'businessmen with guns'. If they don't think we're there to threaten them, then we'll be ok."

"Very well," Mercer said, standing up. "You're standing orders: find any Furling technology that can help this expedition and, if possible, locate and contact the Furlings. If these 'Sulibar' are as friendly as Corin claims they are, then see if they can help."

There was a shuffling of chairs as Wolf Pack stood up to get geared up. But, before Corin could go anywhere, Mercer called out, "Professor Nevec, if you could remain here for a moment." The rest of the team glanced at Corin, not sure why Mercer would ask him to stay behind, before leaving. Mercer watched as everyone filed out before speaking.

"You don't seem as suspicious of as the others," Mercer remarked.

"What does that mean?" Corin asked with a shrug. Mercer's eyes gave a violent glow as the other took the opportunity to speak. Corin's read reports of how Goa'uld and Tok'ra could make their eyes glow, he's always tried to imagine what it would look like, but this was the first time he's ever actually seen it. It seemed so inhuman that he could not help but feel a chill down his spine. "I assume I'm now speaking to Am-heh," Corin said. Am-heh, the Great Devourer of Millions, the Eater of Eternity, the Goa'uld mercenary and assassin that single-handedly racked up a kill count in the millions. Corin remembered that in Egyptian mythology, Am-heh was a demon in the underworld that would devourer lost souls that had the misfortune of crossing his path, a demon worshipped by none but feared by all. It was only recently they discovered that General William Mercer shared his body with this parasite, a Goa'uld claiming to have joined the Tok'ra to absolve himself of past sins. All this was the result of an agreement between the SGC and the Tok'ra.

"Even now, you do not seem disturbed by my presence," Am-heh said. These words came out of Mercer's mouth, this was still Mercer's voice, but it was twisted and distorted. Corin was surprised Am-heh simply took control, even making his eyes flash for anyone to see if they're watching. Aside from Doctor Osborn, only Wolf Pack knew Mercer's secret.

"There a reason I should be?" Corin asked. He'd be lying if he told himself he wasn't a little disturbed, the idea of a snake wrapped around his spinal cord making him cringe, but he didn't see the General as anything horrible.

"The rest of your team has become suspicious of me, which was expected, yet you do not seem to be," Am-heh said. Corin felt nervous speaking his mind in front of the General. He gave an exasperated sigh as he tried to put his thoughts into words.

"I believe you; you're not the only…'alien' that wants to escape his past. Terra's just worried whether or not you have other secrets you're not telling us. Steven just want to make sure you don't give us a suicide mission to fulfill your own goals. Charles wonders if you really have changed or are you still a cold killer. When the Council tried to take Millennium, you said that you talked to Greer and managed to incite enough dissension in the attack force, that they fought and killed each other. That's not true, is it? You killed them, all of them, didn't you?" Am-heh closed his eyes without responding. Even if he did wish to spend the last hundred years of his life doing something more meaningful, he still retained his ruthless efficiency. "Hey, if you don't mine me asking the General…"

Am-heh's eyes gave another violent glow as the symbiote and host switched control. Corin read that Tok'ra would close their eyes or even lower their heads as they made the switch; the former Goa'uld did not bother with such trivial formality.

"What is it, Professor?" Mercer asked in his regular voice.

"Why did you volunteer to be…implanted I think they called it? They told you who you were merging with, right?"

"A killer of millions," Mercer said with a chuckle. "Blending is definitely something for neither the faint-hearted nor those fearful of commitment, truly 'till death do us part. And Am-heh hasn't completely lost his Goa'uld ways; he does on occasion seize control without my permission." Mercer gave a hearty chuckle as he thought about it.

"Then why'd you agree to this?"

"Professor, I've been alive almost seventy years, so old that military regulation would have me retire before I reach that age. All my life, from the time I was a child to teenager to adult, I have been surrounded by the arrogant, self-proclaimed experts. I was reviled and spat upon for one reason or another, called ignorant and inferior. All my life, I wished to become something great, something no one could ever look down upon. Am-heh was simply one step further to doing this, one step further to becoming something far greater than any human could ever hope to become: leader of the Millennium Expedition and host to warrior seeking redemption for past sins."

"And if he really is just using you? I've read mission reports where the symbiote's taken advantage of the host."

"Well, I guess that would be a fitting punishment for being so enraptured by my own ambitions. Though, Professor Nevec, you are assuming that you are actually speaking to William Mercer right now, and not the symbiote impersonating him."

Corin felt his blood chill when he heard this. Mercer's tone had changed so suddenly that it almost seemed as if Am-heh really had been in control all this time and was merely mocking Corin for being so trusting, mocking the obliviousness of the expedition, and mocking the helplessness of the team to this information. The blood from Corin's face had just drained when…a smile formed on the General's face as the old man gave a hearty laugh.

"I'm only kidding," he said with a broad smile. "There's no reason for you to be so uptight. I appreciate your faith, as does Am-heh, though you'll never catch him admitting it. Now go prepare for the mission; I said to obtain Furling technology to sound realistic but I am done chasing ghosts. If the Furlings really are still around, I want you to find them, whatever it takes."

STARGATE

MILLENNIUM

The workers cleared and the gate room emptied as Wolf Pack geared up. They haven't used the Hazard Suits in a while but putting on the Alliance suit felt familiar. The Asgard in Pegasus were seen using armored exoskeletons that apparently protected them from toxic atmospheres. The Destiny expedition found Ancient environmental suits. The Hazard suits were likely a combination of the two mixed with some Nox and Furling technology. The dark gray suits looked a lot more intricate than they really were and were identical except for the helmets. Nova let the helmet extend from her collar, the dome covering her head as a single purple band of energy lit up at the front like a visor as she gripped her P90. Martin slung his ion rifle over his shoulder, his wedge shaped helmet forming with two veins of green energy running across the front of it. Chen already had his rigidly helmet on, looking at the gate room through two red glowing view ports which made it look as if he was glaring at everything, which actually wouldn't be much of a change from his regular expression. Corin finally walked in, glancing at Mercer, who watched the team from the control room. Nevec let his helmet extend over his head, the flat faceplate coming together as three bands of energy running across it hummed to life.

"Major Nova," Mercer announced. "Is your team ready?"

"Ready, sir," Nova said back. "Wolf Pack, roll out!"

-.-

The MALP showed snow. The MALP showed ice. What the MALP did not show was how deep it was. Nova learned this when she arrived, stumbling as the snow rose to her knees. Martin arrived next, yelling, "Gah, bugger me," as he struggled to keep balance, not expecting the sudden drop. Chen followed and yelled, "Oh, jeez!" They both managed to stay on their feet. Then Corin arrived. Not as limber as any of them, Corin stepped forward expecting something to be there and immediately lost balance, falling onto the two men in front of him and knocking them all to the ground.

"My team's composed of the three stooges," Nova groaned, shaking her head as Martin, Chen, and Nevec picked themselves up.

"Why would the Furlings build their stuff here, of all places?!" Chen exclaimed as he brushed the snow off. "Why not somewhere on the planet where it's sunny?"

"The continent might've been different back then," Corin suggested, getting to his feet. "Or, this is simply the winter." It didn't seem that bad. The snow may have been knee-deep but the sight was rather beautiful as the sun reflected off the smooth and untouched top layer.

"C'mon," Nova said. "The base looks like it's a ten minute walk."

"If there are any Furling artifacts, they're probably buried under the snow," Corin said as they began treading through the white mass. Calling it 'walking' would've been an exaggeration. A more accurate description would be awkward stomping. With how high the snow was, they would try lifting their feet out of it first before moving it forwards. "Hopefully Sulibar can lend us a hand," Corin muttered, already tired.

-.-

The white snow and ice they tread through seemed to practically glow as the light reflected off its glittering surface. This almost contrasted the facility's dull gray walls as they approached it.

"There it is," Nova called out as Wolf Pack stood upon the ledge of a steep hill looking down over the entire compound. The orange sun was partially blocked by the mountains behind it but the auburn rays still shone over the entire area, a huge metal wall surrounding the encampment, dozens of makeshift buildings dotting the landscape. Towers along the walls overlooked the surroundings. A single gate in the wall was connected directly to the main building, which was covered in snow. The Sulibar symbol was painted on the side of the wall for everyone to see.

-.-

"Hello!" Coring called out, waving his hands as they neared the compound. He had to make sure that the people inside knew they were friendly. "We're not here to fight you; we're explorers, we need to talk." They all waited for some sort of response but none came.

"No welcome wagon," Martin observed. There was no response to greet them nor turn them away.

"You think it's abandoned?" Chen asked, preparing his own P90.

"Power's on," Nova said, shaking her head. "I guess we'll find out." She approached the door at the gate, watching as the sensors detected a presence and opened. She readied her weapon as she stepped inside the compound. The doors slid close as the team followed her in, sealing them inside. No longer exposed to the outside, they all retracted their helmets and took in a deep breath of fresh air. It was only once her helmet was off Nova realized how big of a difference the suits made. With her helmet on, she barely felt any discomfort. Even with the compound doors closed, the cold air that had gotten in felt like freezing water against her face. Puddles were forming at their feet as the ice and snow lodged in their suits began to melt. A second set of doors opened, allowing the team inside the facility. The double-doors would make sure cold air does not flood in and it also served as a veil that hid the truth from the outside.

"This place wasn't abandoned," Martin said when he saw the facility in front of them was actually filled with humans, a few of them walking about while others stood in the corners by computer terminals and crates. But, this didn't make them feel any better. If anything, they now knew for sure something was wrong as they listened to how eerily quiet it was.

"Terra," Corin whispered nervously. "Something's wrong here." Nova watched a group of people talking in the corner. She squinted when she realized that these people actually weren't talking. They were standing there and looking at each other but their mouths didn't move. They must've noticed Nova staring for they all looked up and looked at her, their heads moving in unison.

"I know," she muttered, walking away, trying to shake off what she just saw. Martin hugged his weapon, looking around nervously.

"This is like the episode of Doctor Who: Clara and the Doctor walk into the restaurants filled with creepy robots," he muttered.

"Hey," Corin said, blocking the man's path. "Can we talk to whoever's in charge?" Corin waited but the man had almost no reaction, only looking forward with an eerie blank stare. Finally, after a minute, the man simply said, "Excuse me," and walked past. The statement was short, simple, and completely monotone. He didn't sound inhuman, more like a man who is half asleep and instinctively answering. But, these people didn't look like they were asleep; their eyes were wide open and they moved around as if it was a usual work day. Nova tried her luck, walking up to a man sitting on a bench.

"Hello," she said. "I'm looking for the person in charge." The man looked up at her but did not answer. With a blank expression and unblinking eyes, he stared at Nova.

"These guys are really give me the creeps," Martin remarked, staring a woman at a computer terminal. Along with a winter suit, she wore a blank expression on her face and stared at the monitor. Her hands were on the keyboard but she was not typing.

"Hey guys!" Corin called out as he walked into a nearby room. Everyone followed him in. The room was a decent size with a bookshelf on the far wall, a large cot, and a table with a lamp.

"Captain Mathanus," Nova read the tag on the door. "I think Mathanus might be _the_ captain of this whole operation." Corin walked up to the bookshelf and began browsing through the rows of books, looking for something.

"Terra," Chen spoke up. "As much as I want to know what's happening here, shouldn't we be more focused on finding the Furlings or at least their technology?"

"All we know is that this used to be a major Furling planet," Nova reminded him. "To be blunt, we don't know where to start looking."

Corin was already busy working to solve that issue. "Hold on," he said. There was a small booklet just lying on the cot that Corin picked and began flipping through. "It was a hunch but I was right; Mathanus kept a journal." Nova paused, taking in everything she just learned.

"Alright," she finally said. "Martin, stay with Corin and see what Mathanus wrote in his journal. Chen, you and I are going to take a look around, see if we can find anyone who's still sane. If we want to look for the Furlings, we're going to need help."

"Got it," Chen said, readying his gun.

"Be careful though," Martin added. Everyone looked at him quizzically, unable to think of a reason they would be in danger. "The base is surrounded by six-meter high walls. It kinda begs the question: what are they trying to keep out?"

-.-

The soulless people at the entrance already gave Nova the chills. The empty base didn't help. Lights had been turned off, leaving it up to her and Chen to find the switch to turn them back on. They didn't know what it was but something about this place put them all on edge. Dripping water sounded like footsteps, lights from the machines looked like glowing eyes, the creaking of the building sounded like inhuman moans. But, they still treaded on.

"Aren't we worried that whatever happened to those people is going to happen to us?" Chen posed the question as he examined the halls.

"If it was airborne, we'd already be infected," Nova said. "If not, we just need to be careful." Chen rolled his eyes at that last statement.

"Careful," he scoffed, opening a door and letting out a girlish scream. Nova whipped around and watched almost a dozen light gray fuzz balls scurrying across the floor. She simply laughed, lowering her gun.

"You suddenly grow a fear of vormians?" she chuckled. The expedition had encountered vormians before; an infestation of the furbie-looking rat-like creature had once broken out on Millennium. These pests were adaptable and could multiply like flies. These ones managed to even survive in the freezing environment.

"There's a difference between fear and innate hatred," Chen growled, lowering his gun. Chen had just stood up when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He peeked into the room, trying to identify what he just saw. "Uh, Terra," he said. Nova looked inside as well, her eyes falling upon what had caught Chen's attention. The door was an entrance to a small warehouse filled with alien artifacts. Tables were scattered about with strange devices laying on them. Tags dangled off each item, some of which were as small as a fist while others were the size of a soccer ball.

"They definitely found a Furling settlement of some sort," Nova said, picking up a golden canister. Inscribed around the cylinder were strange symbols that she recognized as the Furling language. The hieroglyphs were small, almost like a label. She couldn't tell what was an actual piece of technology and what was simple decoration. "They were probably sending up items they found for catalog."

Chen was staring at a mine cart resting on a set of rails, a large statue, a little taller than him, nestled in the car. The statue was a pair of large black prongs jutting into the air, circling to coil around a large orb before shooting back into the sky. Chen stared at the crystal ball held between the stone pillars, watching as the green smoke inside swirled. He knew it was only a crystal ball but it felt like a massive eye watching his every move. He got it off his mind by examining the rails the cart was resting on. The rails came in through a closed garage door, made a loop, and went back out again.

"Hey Terra," he called out. "If we follow these tracks, we'll probably find where they got these from." Nova followed the tracks with her eyes, watching them lead outside. A small door in the corner also lead outside, likely so they didn't need to open the garage door every time they wanted to exit the building.

"Back into the snow then," she said, letting her helmet extend back over her head. Chen followed suit and walked to the door. Outside, snow had begun to gently fall. It was a very light flurry, barely even noticeable. Chen watched as a few flakes landed on the tracks and melted within moments. They had to be heating the tracks to make sure it didn't get iced over.

Chen and Nova both froze when an inhuman howl gently rumbled the air. They could hear heavy footfall, something crushing snow under its weight.

"Oh great, we got a yeti outside," Chen said flatly, not in the mood for fighting big monsters. Martin had wondered why they needed such high walls for.

"As long as it stays outside, we won't have a problem," Nova said calmly. "C'mon, we still need to see if there's anyone we can talk to."

-.-

Charles Martin walked back into the captain's quarters, glancing back behind him. Had had decided to roam about the halls and found that these people were still very creepy.

"Hey, Corin," he said. "You done reading that?" Nevec slouched in the chair by the desk, slowly making his way through the captain's log, trying to find out what he could.

"There's definitely something Furling on this planet," Corin said. "This planet's wildlife apparently made it too dangerous for an official archaeological expedition so they hired the Sulibar to do the digging."

"Pirates looking for alien artifacts?" Martin asked, not expecting this.

"They're paid for every artifact or piece of technology they send back. With how rare Furling technology is, this would be a lucrative job. Scientists, engineers, archaeologists, government officials, museums, private collectors, there are a lot of people who would pay a killing for anything that used to belong to the Furlings. They suspect that, unlike the Ancients or Asgard, the Furlings are intentionally hiding their technology on some of the most dangerous planets with the most hostile wildlife." Corin could not help but think about the wall surrounding the base. That was likely to keep out said hostile wildlife while the Sulibar dug for artifacts. It was also why the Sulibar was hired in the first place; the wildlife proved too dangerous. The Furlings simply didn't count on pirates willing to take the risk for the right pay. Normally, ancient races, when they wanted to hide technology or treasures, would put it in a tomb lined with traps. With dangerous weather conditions and an even more dangerous wildlife, this would do more to discourage snooping archaeologists and make it even harder to find. "Hey, here's something interesting."

"What is it?" Martin asked. The whole building was so dreary he could use something new. Corin turned back one page so he could properly read what was written.

"Here's something the captain wrote: _Once again, it seems like this planet or these ruins are having an effect on our memories or on time itself, with how powerful the Furlings were I wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. I left my quarters but when I came back, my clock said an entire day had passed. I'm not the only one. Many of our people say the same thing is happening to them; they leave a room but next time they see a clock, it is a day later. Our contractors say they lost contact with us during what would be yesterday. I can't help but wonder what happened to us during that time." _

"Maybe this is what's happening to them," Martin suggested, looking at the stiff figures walking the halls. "Why are we even reading this thing page by page? Just skip to the ending." Martin reached over to grab the book but Corin immediately held it away.

"There's no point," Corin said, flipping to the last journal entry to prove it. "All it says is…" His voice trailed off as he finally read the last journal entry said.

"Hey," Martin said, realizing something had Corin worried. "What is it?" Corin couldn't find a way to paraphrase it so he read it out loud.

"_I am ordering my crew to pack up and leave. I do not know why I feel so strongly about it but I am going to follow my instincts. We've made enough from this job and now it's time to leave. Grab all personal items; we head out as soon as we can. I leave this book behind as a warning. I strongly encourage anyone who finds this to simply leave._ This was from several weeks ago." It took Martin a moment but he realized what Corin was hinting at.

"If the Sulibar have already left, who're these blokes?"

Corin stuffed the book in a pocket on his suit's belt and stormed outside. He walked up to one of the wandering men and began searching through his uniform.

"Excuse me," the person said as Corin began searching the man for some sort of identification. It was only once Corin lifted a flap on the man's jacket did he realize who they were dealing with. He wanted to smack his head off the wall, frustrated that he believed that these people were members of the Sulibar just because they were in a Sulibar base.

"Oh no," Corin muttered when he saw the black symbol printed on blue cloth wrapped around the man's arm, hidden under a flap on their uniform, and it was not the Sulibar symbol.

-.-

The buildings may look rough and ragged but they certainly did their job. The doors to the last compound at the center of the outpost opened up and Nova and Chen eagerly stepped in. Every time they entered a building, the snow clinging to their suit melted to water and when they stepped back outside, the water froze to ice. Chen stomped the ground, letting the thing layer of frozen water fall off.

"Terra," Chen said, spotting an elevator in the distance. This was a one story building; the only direction an elevator could travel was down, leading Chen to one conclusion: "That elevator must lead to the Furling ruins." His heart was racing. He was beginning to understand how archaeologists must feel when they make a new discovery. He wanted to go down there; he wanted to see the ruins. Somewhere down there could be an energy source powerful enough to dial Earth.

"No," Nova said. "We can go down there later. For now, keep looking around." Chen obeyed. He didn't like it but he understood what Nova was saying. He scurried around the small building, trying to find someone.

"It's weird," Steven Chen said, his helmet folding back into her suit. "It seems like everyone is at the main compound." Nova agreed that it was strange, the crew of an entire facility lumbering around like zombies, almost completely unresponsive to everything. "I say we go back and try to get someone to snap out of it."

"Not yet," Terra said. "I still want to find Captain Mathanus; that way we will have someone that can actually tell us what's going on." Nova fell silent as she wondered where Mathanus could possibly be. These people, walking around in their trance, must have once gone about their regular routines. Where could Mathanus have gone before this happened? She was so enwrapped in her thoughts she did not expect a voice to come out through the window behind them.

"Why are you looking for Captain Mathanus?"

Nova and Chen whipped around, weapons at the ready. At first they didn't see where the voice was coming from. Then, the wall faded away, revealing a window. The wall was merely a holographic projection. In the room on the other side was a dark figure sitting in pitch blackness. Sparks tinkled from the shattered lights, which hung from only a few cables.

"We're hoping to talk to him," Nova said cautiously.

"Just talk?" the man asked.

"Just talk," Nova reassured. "The people in the main building were…acting strange. We were hoping Captain Mathanus could explain what is going on." The figure paused, hesitating to speak.

"Then you need not search further," he finally said. "I'm Captain Mathanus." Nova looked at the figure in surprise and suspicion.

"Major Nova," she replied. "What happened here?" Chen didn't like how he couldn't see the man's face. Nova was a lot more skilled at reading facial expressions than he was but it still felt like the man was hiding something.

"We were an archaeological expedition," Mathanus said. "A tablet containing the gate address to a Furling planet was found. This planet is infamous for its hostile climate and wildlife so we were hired to do the digging."

"We saw your warehouse," Chen mentioned.

"There's a Furling outpost under the ice. We managed to bring back a few artifacts."

"So the tracks do lead to the ruins," Chen said with a nod.

"The men would send the cart up with any artifacts they found. The workers in the warehouse would take the artifacts, catalog them, and send the cart back down."

"There's no one at the warehouse now," Nova pointed out. Mathanus looked down sadly.

"We found a capsule of some sort. My scientists thought it was some sort of storage unit so we opened it up. It was empty…or so we thought. That's when it started to happen. People began acting strange, wandering around aimlessly. It started with the ones who opened the capsule. Then, the people working around that area at the time. Soon, it had spread to everyone. Eventually they attacked me. I locked myself in here."

"Do you know why they're acting like this?" Nova asked. Her first concern with for her team, not some alien artifacts.

"It's a bacteria," the figure said darkly. "It's some sort of diease back during the time of the Alliance. We're not immune to it like they are."

"How're you not infected?" Chen asked.

"I am infected. I left the main building before it go as bad as the others. The longer the exposure the worse it gets. You two need to get the rest of your team and get out here. It's too late for us. Just leave us behind."

Chen looked at Nova as if to say 'I told you so'. He had suspected that this was some sort of disease from the beginning. Nova, on the other hand, was not as easily convinced.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"Leave us behind," the figure pleaded.

"How did you know we came with a team?" she asked. "You've only seen the two of us." Chen hadn't noticed the discrepancy either until now. He readied his gun while they waited for Mathanus to give them the answer.

"You said we," Mathanus replied after a long pause.

"And I could easily mean just me and Chen," Nova replied, carefully listening to the man's responses. "How did you know there're more of us?" Before Mathanus could answer, Nova's radio crackled to life.

"Terra!" Corin called out in panic. "Terra, we might be in trouble." Nova was about to answer but Corin immediately spoke up again. "Terra, they're not Sulibar. Mathanus and his crew left nearly two months ago! We have to get out of here"

Nova and Chen cocked and aimed their weapons, realizing that this figure wasn't Mathanus.

"We're headed back," Nova said through the radio, her weapon trained on the figure. The man hung his head, his body trembling. "Who are you?" Nova demanded to know as she and Chen backed up. The figure looked at them, his eyes wide and glowing ferociously. This was not the mere flash seen on Goa'uld and Tok'ra but a glow like a flame burning in his sockets.

_"Do not pursue me; abandon your search."_ This was the voice that came out of the man, a hollow voice that echoed through the building. _"Leave this planet and never return."_

"Who are you?!" Nova repeated. "What have you done to these people?"

"Terra," Corin yelled through the radio. "We have to go!" The figure stared at her and Chen, not moving, his eyes glowing even brighter. The two of them suddenly fell over, clinging their head as a ringing noise seemed to pierce their ear, a sharp pain stabbing into their head as the glass suddenly shattered. The man leapt out of the room and bolted out the door.

"He's getting away!" Chen yelled, hauling himself to his feet. He was about to run after the man but Terra Nova ordered, "Let him go." Steven wanted to protest but Nova had made up her mind.

"We're meeting up with Corin and Martin and heading back to Millennium until we know what's going on."

-.-

The doors leading outside opened and Wolf Pack strolled out. Their helmets were back on and they were going back into the snow. Night was falling so they had to get back to the gate quickly.

"Corin," Nova called out, the facility vanishing behind them. "You were panicked when you radioed in. What's going on?" Corin treading ahead faster than the others, not wanting to turn back. He was the only one who understood what was happening.

"The Sulibar were hired to come here to dig for Furling artifacts," Corin explained. "But, something on this planet influenced them, convinced them to abandon their base, to leave and never come back. So they left."

"Then who are these people?" Nova asked. Corin was clearly worried and she needed to know why. Nevec stopped so he could catch his breath. This was also a good time to explain.

"They call themselves the Quinteran; it means 'The Fifth' in Ancient."

"Fifth?" Chen repeated. "As in?"

"The Fifth Race. There's an Ancient ruin on their home planet that talks about how the Ancients directed and guided their evolution so they could be the successor to the Alliance, the Fifth Race. This idea's gotten to their heads; they use it as an excuse to conquer neighboring territories. They found the abandoned Sulibar base and began using it to search for Furling technology. They say they're entitled to all Alliance technology."

"And the Ror'char just let this happen?" Martin asked. He remembered that the Ror'char studied and integrated the technologies of the Alliance of Four Great Races.

"No, all the Ror'char factions and the Quinterans have a huge grudge match," Corin said. He remembered teaching classes about this in the past, about the battles between the Ror'char and the Quinterans. The Ror'char ruthlessly conquered dozens of civilizations but they have never been as merciless as they are against this particular group of humans. "They're both after Alliance technology and the Ror'char say the Quinterans are everything they stand against; the Ror'char have a 'take no survivors' policy for dealing with the Quinterans. Not to mention, the Ror'char are beating them on all fronts." Corin paused again, realizing he may have actually spoken well of the Ror'char. But, he had to be truthful. "The Ror'char are callous but the Quinterans are just barbaric."

"Then why did just leave in a hurry?" Nova finally asked. She now knew who they were running from; now she wanted to know why. "A person back there was under some sort of alien influence. He said that there's a bacteria doing this."

"I think he's lying," Corin replied. "Whatever happened to the Sulibar that convinced them to leave was happening to the Quinteran. We just walked in while it was happening and whatever is doing this needed to find a way to convince us to leave too. That's also why we had to leave." Martin simply shook his head in confusion.

"I don't get it."

"Don't say it," Chen warned. Steven Chen understood what Corin was implying. "Don't say it; you're going to jinx it."

"Jinx what?"

"The moment Corin says those guys will wake up and attack us, that's exactly what'll happen," Chen said, suddenly freezing when he just realized what he just did. "Son of a bitch, I'm a dumbass."

A bolt of purple energy whipped through the air, missed, and stuck the snow at their feet. Everyone dove for cover, unprepared for the sudden attack. Nova looked around, trying to find the source. She didn't need to look long for she immediately saw two figures sprinting through the snowfield, the knee-high white mass not even slowing them down.

"There they are! They're heading for the Valgrind."

"Shoot them."

Nova grabbed her P90 and fired, the sound of the gun echoing across the snow field. This was bad. There was no cover for any of them. There was too much distance between her and the charging soldiers to disarm them and there was nothing to hide behind. All she could hope was that they missed. It was their accuracy versus hers.

Martin immediately aimed and fired his ion rifle in the general direction of their attackers. He didn't even check what setting it was on, as long as it fired. The rifle was actually on its maximum setting, and the bolt may have missed the Quinteran soldiers but it hit the snow near the Quinteran forces. The bolt exploded the moment it hit the ground as if it was a grenade, the blast wave hurtling a plume of white powder into the air, the sudden pressure wave knocking down the two enemy soldiers.

"That's our cue," Nova yelled. "Forget fighting; just head back to the gate." Her team obeyed, turning and trying to run up the hill to the gate. The explosion stunned the Quinteran but it didn't stop them. The chase resumed but it didn't last long. The sound of the fight echoed in every direction and it had just attracted an angry passerby. The ground began to ruble. Wolf Pack struggled to stay on their feet as the snow beneath them began to shift. Even the Quinteran stopped, scanning the area in fear. They had been on the planet far longer than Wolf Pack and they understood that the walls around the facility were there for good reason.

The ground burst open, a cloud of white filling the air. The snow sprinkled to the ground and the white mass faded away, replaced by a massive dark gray shape: an enormous snake-like mantis held off the ground by a set of tiny legs near the back of its serpentine body and a pair of huge spiny forearms.

"Tyrant!" one of the Quinteran soldiers yelled in panic, the shadow of the monster looming over him. Wolf Pack immediately got to their feet and bolted across the snow plain. Nevec was falling behind so Nova grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her.

The tyrant had emerged at the source of the loudest the noise: the explosion near the Quinteran. The creature lunged forwards, its jaws the perfect size to grab the screaming Quinteran and lift him up into the air. It began thrashing its head, shaking its prey's body like a ragdoll, whipping its meal back and forth while his comrade was desperately shooting at the beast. The creature dropped its food the ground and diverted its attention to the one shooting at him. The man looked up in horror as the beast raised a massive claw and swung, the barbed forearm slicing across the surface and hitting the man like a baseball bat hitting its tiny ball. The tiny man was sent flying across the ground. The tyrant scanned the area. Realizing it had just won, it threw its head into the air and gave a triumphant roar that echoed across the landscape.

-.-

The glow of the active wormhole illuminated the gate room on Millennium. Mercer stood at the edge of the balcony, his eyes locked on the ring.

"We're receiving Wolf Pack's IDC," Donavan reported from his console.

"Raise the barrier," Mercer ordered. A beam of light appeared from the floor and dematerialized the metal cover, the open wormhole exposed to the air once again. Corin jumped through, arms flailing. Martin and Chen tripped out of the event horizon, practically falling over. Nova slowly backed out of the wormhole, her weapon aimed at the gate.

"Seal the barrier," she said calmly. Donavan obeyed and the metal slab quickly covered the gate once again. She didn't know if the creature was following them and she wasn't taking any chances.

"Major," Mercer called out, jogging down the stairs to the gate room. He watched as the helmets retracted, revealing the team's defeated expressions. "I'm assuming you didn't manage to retrieve any Furling technology."

"No, sir," Nova said, shaking her head. "We were chased off the planet; we didn't even see the ruins." The General was silent for a moment. They were all hoping that they could have brought or found something.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. Corin grinned at this statement, pulling Mathanus' journal out from the pouch in his belt.

"Don't be sorry yet," Corin chuckled, waving the booklet in the air.

"You kept the journal?" Martin asked. He had completely forgotten about the book. Chen hadn't forgotten it but didn't see the significance.

"What good is that going to do?"

"Well, before the Sulibar left, they found a way to track the Furlings."

Everyone fell silent when they heard this.

"You mean…" Nova said. Even she had trouble containing her excitement.

"With the instructions in this journal, we can find the Furlings."


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: the hunt for the Furlings continue. I apologize for the delay, there were some personal things I had to finish. But, here's the next chapter. Please review, tell me what you think and, most importantly, enjoy._**

-.-

Corin stared at the glimmering hologram before him. It was the hologram of an entire galaxy. This was the galaxy map, located in the situation room several floors above the control room. He imagined that this room was used by the governments of the Alliance to keep track of current events. Now, the Millennium expedition simply used it to keep track of the status of the galaxy, where to and where not to go.

The situation room was a large circular chamber with computer terminals lining the sides and crystal computer monitors covering the walls. At the center, the holographic galaxy map glimmered with a platform right in front of it.

"You ok?" Chen asked from beside Corin.

"Just thinking. The galaxy map holds the gate addresses of every stargate in this galaxy. Donavan's in a wheelchair because he stayed behind to make sure the addresses weren't destroyed. If he didn't do it, we might've been stuck. I don't want to say it was a fair trade but…was it?"

Chen gave his friend a flat stare.

"Not everything has a right answer," Chen said. "C'mon, we aren't going to find the Furlings by moping." Corin nodded enthusiastically, opening Captain Mathanus' journal.

"Alright, Mathanus was also the lead archaeologist. He suspected the Furlings were hiding somewhere in this galaxy but we could retrace their steps, narrow down where they could be by using clues left behind. He wrote the parameters of what he found."

"Just tell me what to put into the computer," Chen ordered, his fingers resting on the keyboard.

"It's not that simple," Corin clarified. "Here, highlight these planets." Corin showed Steven a page in the journal, a list of gate addresses, and Chen entered them in. Five dots appeared on the galaxy map at several different locations.

"Why'd I do that?" Chen asked.

"Among the artifacts found was something called 'The Eye of the Furlings'. It's an obelisk with some sort of orb in the center."

"I saw that. It was in a mine car back on the planet."

"Those are the most commonly found Furling artifacts and there are only five of them, including the one they found on the planet. That's where they are now."

"How does the help us find the Furlings?"

Corin opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to find these Furlings. To make history, to be the first person in three galaxies to see a Furling. But, he hadn't a clue how this could help.

"I don't know," he admitted. Chen gave a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. They didn't lose hope but this was clearly going to take longer than they imagined.

-.-

The day cycle was drawing to an end. As the clouds of the nebula dimmed, the lights of the city turned on. Before, the buildings would turn into a glittering mosaic. After all the bombings, patches and blots of darkness covered several areas like ink splattered across a once beautiful mural, the devastated buildings engulfed in the blackness.

Nova could see the altered scenery through the window. She had chosen to spend time in her makeshift woodshop. Wood work always seemed to calm her down and clear her mind. The smell of sawdust seemed so natural for her. But, right now, all her tools were laid down. Her sandpaper was still stacked, her hacksaw was still on the shelf, and her tool box was still in its cubby-hole. Her table was clear so she could continue working.

"Major?" a voice called out. Nova looked up to see Charles Martin standing at the doorway. "Light reading?" he asked, spotting the book in her hands.

"Remember when we went to Yardris?" Nova asked. Yardris was Corin's home planet, the first planet they ever visited. They had gone back there after they discovered it empty and abandoned and even took the opportunity to hunt for some scrap and supplies.

"You mean before we were chased off?" Martin asked flatly, remembering that they had been chased off the planet by both the Ror'char and monsters known as the Harvesters.

"Among the scrap materials we brought back were some of Corin's old textbooks that he used to teach. I've been reading up on the Quinterans."

Martin leaned against the doorframe to take some weight off his feet.

"Find anything interesting?" he asked.

"You could say that," Nova remarked, flipping a couple pages back in the book. She couldn't remember everything she read off the top of her head and needed some reminders. Her eyes briefly skimmed across the text as she told Martin what she read.

"According to this, a really long time ago, there was a backwater planet that Ancients seeded with human life, the first planet in this galaxy seeded with human life. Eventually, the humans on that planet discovered the stargate. Traveling through it, they made enemies of several tyrannical empires in control of this galaxy at the time. So, they began exploring the galaxy in the hopes of finding allies and technology they could use to defend themselves. They eventually found and formed an alliance with the Ancients who, over time, helped them build ships and weapons to defend the planet. Along with a few other alien races, these humans even managed to overthrow the empires that were in control along with a number of other galactic powers. Right before the Ancients ascended, they pronounced the humans of that planet to be the fifth race and left behind a repository of knowledge and all their technology for them. Confident that they could defend themselves, the stargate went public and the teams that got them to where they were became heroes."

"Sounds like a happy ending," Charles remarked. He and Steven Chen always disagreed over the idea of revealing the stargate. Charles believed that interstellar travel would make countries put aside their differences and work together. Steven believed that the political differences would make the countries bomb the planet into extinction. For Martin, this sounded like proof the stargate could unify a planet.

"It might've been but that's not the end of the story," Nova said, looking at the pictures. She silently read a caption, a quote from a Quinteran politician: 'The Ancients chose us to be the fifth race; they chose us because out little planet has accomplished in a few years more than anyone else has in a few hundred. We deserve this more than anyone else.' The image at the top of the page must've been from before the change. It showed a simple team of humans, dressed up and ready to go through the gate to explore, patches on their shoulders with a number distinguishing which team they came from, simple projectile weapons in their arms. If she didn't know better, she probably would've thought this was an SG team.

The picture at the bottom of the page showed something else entirely. A single soldier whose uniform was completely different but still bore some resemblance to the original ones worn by the exploration teams, a more advanced projectile weapon in his hand. His long blue and gray jacket was flapping in the wind, a metal helmet covering his head so that only a pair of eyes glared out. Nova could only imagine a wicked glare underneath the cloth that covered his mouth and nose.

"Several decades later, they began calling themselves the Quinteran to reiterate their position as fifth race," Nova continued to explain. "Some of their old alien allies began voicing concerns about their sudden rise in power, even gathering large armies in fear of attack. The talks broke down and the Quinterans labeled several of their old allies as threats and…wiped them out. Their mandate soon changed to: the elimination of all threats, to make any civilization that could attack incapable and unwilling to. Millions were slaughtered in what they called 'preemptive strikes'."

"They went from good guys to bad guys," Martin breathed. "And the Ancients trusted them enough to actually call them the Fifth Race."

"It's possible the people at the time _were_ trustworthy," Terra pointed out. "There's no way they could've known their successors would corrupt all their accomplishments."

"Things could've been corrupted from the top down. Their leaders could've gone bad long before hand."

As these words left Lieutenant Martin's mouth, Nova could not help but notice his expression.

"Do you have anyone in particular in mind?" she asked. Martin was caught completely off guard by the question. He hesitated to answer but answer he did.

"Been thinking of Am-heh," he replied.

"You mean General Mercer?"

Martin scoffed when he heard Terra Nova refer to the old man as that.

"Does it even matter anymore?"

"You don't trust him?"

"He's a bloody Goa'uld," Martin spat. "I'm not happy that the Tok'ra had to keep their secrets from us but at least they can be trusted. I never really fought any of the System Lords but I did see the remaining minor ones. I've been in their concentration camps, slums for those who would not bow where the only food was each other, where their only building material were the bones of those who died. Am-heh is a Goa'uld mercenary and assassin, he didn't order jaffa to do his killing, he did it all himself, and you expect me to believe that he woke up one day and decided to completely change his act? How am I supposed to trust a leader who willingly let himself be implanted with one?"

Before either of them could continue, "Major Nova and Lieutenant Martin, please report to the situation room," echoed over the intercom. Nova and Martin exchanged glances, realizing that Corin and Chen might've found something.

-.-

The galaxy map that was once empty was now covered in holographic lines and circles. Chen still worked furiously at the keyboard, looking at the journal from time to time. Lines would appear on the map and then disappear, progress made simply to be erased.

"You had to call them ahead of time?" Chen snapped in annoyance.

"Sorry, I got a little too eager," Corin said defensively, staring at the map. "I thought we had found it."

They were busy talking so they didn't hear Nova and Martin walk in.

"So does that mean we're back to square one?" Nova asked as she entered. Corin whipped around, not expecting her and Martin to arrive so soon. Now he had to explain why they were called. Chen was a lot calmer.

"Well, we've made progress," he said. "We just simply haven't gotten what we need yet." Martin gave a groan, rubbing his brow.

"I guess I'll find a chair," he remarked, looking around. Nova was not going to be satisfied just sitting down.

"What're you doing to find them?" she asked. She wasn't a scientist but she could get the gist of what was going on. Corin and Chen exchanged glances.

"I can cover this," Chen said. "Go do your nonsense-babble." Corin jogged off the platform.

"Well," he said looking back at the galaxy map. "Steven said that you saw some sort of obelisk with an orb in the center."

"There was one in the warehouse," Nova said.

"We call those the 'Eyes of the Furling.' They're the most prominent Furling artifacts found and only four have ever been discovered, including the one on the planet."

"How do they help us?"

"We didn't get to see the Furling ruins but the Sulibar, by studying the ruins, discovered that the Eyes gave off some sort of signal, something that isn't noticeable unless someone knew what they were looking for. When they tried to ship the artifact but then the strength of the signal began to change."

"I'm guessing you used the signals to triangulate a location," Nova concluded.

"They measured the signal strength of each artifact and we just mapped out where a receiver would have to be in order to receive all four signals. But…it covers two star clusters, that's several stargates; that's assuming the Furlings hid themselves on a planet with a stargate."

"Did you find any ways to narrow down the area?"

"The Sulibar actually listed useful information that we've been using to do just that. We…just need more."

"We might've found it!" Chen said loudly, the map zooming on a single sector of the galaxy. Martin stood up. He didn't really care for the scientific babble but he did want to see if they really had the location of the Furlings. Corin and Nova both turned to look too. Chen was smiling eagerly, his eyes going over what the journal read to make sure he did not miss something.

"It took us a while," Chen explained, zooming out to see all the work they did. "The SGC's found at least one piece of Furling technology and it was made of naquadah. Like the Ancients and the Asgard, they probably used naquadah in most of their constructions. There's no naquadah in this galaxy but quarium is very similar in composition."

"The Furlings will've probably built on or near a planet with a lot of quarium," Martin remarked.

"That's what we figured. Another thing I put down were unexplained sightings. The journal talked about how passing ships would detect unexplained signals or pick up ships that would appear then disappear. I've also marked where these took place on the galaxy map. The journal also helped me map out Ror'char ship movement."

"Ror'char?" Martin repeated. "What do they have anything to do with it?"

"Well, the Ror'char are pretty much in the lead when it comes to looking for Alliance technology. But, after what we saw back on the planet, what if the Ror'char did find the Furlings but had been…brainwashed to thinking that they didn't or to keep it a secret?"

"Well, it's a really crappy brainwashing. They had to freeze everyone in place in order to do it."

"They were altering the memories of several hundred people over a large area at the same time with an artifact," Chen pointed out.

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Did that do the trick?" Nova asked, wanting to speed up the explanations.

"No," Corin said, shaking his head. "That's when you guys walked in. We still had several planets to narrow down."

"That's when I came up with an idea," Steven Chen chuckled. "I tried was mapping out this galaxy's Heliopolis."

"I'm sorry, Heli-what?"

Chen was somewhat surprised by Corin's sudden statement. Corin Nevec wasn't an archaeologist but he was knowledgeable in almost everything related to the Alliance of Four Races.

"Back in the Milky Way, we found a meeting chamber where all four races would meet," Nova took to explaining. "That place was called Heliopolis. What I don't get is how that helps us."

"Because, we're living in Heliopolis," Chen said. He spoke as if he had just revealed a surprise and he waited as if he expected their jaws to drop in surprise. Instead, they just stared at him in confusion. It took a moment but Corin quickly understood.

"The meeting chamber," he muttered. "There's a chamber directly above the gate room with some sort of pedestal that would display the treaty made by all four races, written in the Universal Language."

"Sounds about right," Martin commented, remembering the mission report. "But, that still doesn't explain how it helps us."

"Millennium's also sending a signal," Chen said. Nova felt a chill run down her spine. They held the final piece of the puzzle. They had the answer right in front of them. "I mapped out the area Millennium's signal would cover. This narrows it down to three planets and only one of those planets has a stargate."

"You sure this is right?" Nova asked. She could feel the excitement running through her veins and the last thing she wanted was to be disappointed by finding out they were sent chasing ghosts. "I mean, it's unlikely that a race that occupied multiple galaxies could fit themselves on only one planet."

"There might be more planets," Corin pointed out. "For all we know, they could hidden somewhere on every planets, but we can narrow things down that know for sure that they are on _this_ planet."

"It would be interesting," Chen remarked, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "What if all there were Furlings on Earth and every unexplained UFO and monster sighting was because of them."

Nova stepped up to the holographic map, watching as the planet in question was highlighted. She clenched her fist to hold in her excitement. She might just lead the mission that would find the Furlings.

-.-

General Mercer filed another stack of papers. He leaned back in his chair and gave a tired sigh. It's been a long week. The door to his office opened with a hiss. Donavan didn't bother trying to fit through the door; all he was going to do was deliver a message anyways.

"General, we still can't get a lock on the fierri home world."

"You can stand down then. Wolf Pack's getting ready for the next mission," Mercer said slowly, his aging voice croaking more than usual. A few months ago, the expedition had run into an advanced civilization known as the fierri. These short potato-head aliens were one step from extinction but they were the only friendly advanced civilization they knew of that could possibly give them any supplies or resources. They had been trying to reestablish contact but the gate couldn't get a lock. Mercer could think of several reasons why, none of them pleasant. But, he had to worry about his people first.

Mercer slowly stood up. Wolf Pack would be ready in the gate room within a few moments and he wanted to speak to them. Donavan wheeled his way back to the DHD to get ready to dial. Mercer jogged down the steps and into the gate room just as Wolf Pack entered as well.

"Major," the General called out. "You and your team ready?"

"Ready, sir," Nova said. If Nova did despise him, she was good at hiding it. She remained composed. Corin stayed huddled near the back, knowing he was the only one of the four that really trusted Mercer, or rather Am-heh. Chen kept his tired and agitated stare. Martin was the only one who was really glaring.

"No one will think any less of you if you don't manage to find the Furlings," Mercer said.

"Good thing I don't need to worry about it," Nova said optimistically. "We'll find them." Mercer gave a nod, recognizing the Major's attempt to stay positive for the team. "You might want to have a defense team ready. The Quinterans might be able to find this place through a random search."

"I'll have men ready," the General agreed. "Wolf Pack, you have a go."

-.-

A MALP sent earlier gave Wolf Pack an idea of what was waiting on the other side for them. They were still in their black uniforms and vests, hats on their heads meant for the heated planet they were headed to. Nova always knew these as boonie hats, something worn in humid and tropical locations. Though, Charles Martin called them giggle hats. He and Chen even had a small argument over that name, Chen saying 'giggle hat' sounded like a version of the dunce cap.

Regardless of what it was called in what country, they now provided excellent shade in this dense jungle. Vines that hung in front of the stargate had been caught in its vortex and vaporized. The stone platform which the gate stood upon had been overgrown with plants. There was nothing but trees and shrubs in every direction for as far as the eye could see, which was not very far because of the wall of leaves.

"Welcome to the jungle," Nova muttered, looking around. If there was something Furling, they could be standing right beside it and not know. In a forest, they could usually walk between the trees. Here, there was nowhere to go but straight through the plants and pray none of them are carnivorous.

"We should try finding some high ground," Martin suggested.

"Got anything in mind?" Nova asked, looking around. There were hills but nothing high enough to provide any good views of the land. Martin smiled, thinking back to his old hunting days.

-.-

"See anything yet?" Corin yelled into the trees. Martin was so high up that he looked like a koala.

"If I see something, you'll be the first to know!" Charles yelled back, getting annoyed by Corin's impatience. He now stood on one of the highest branches of the tree. He didn't dare go any higher; the branches did not look sturdy enough. He took out his binoculars and peeked through the leaves, one hand tightly gripping a vine wrapped around the tree.

"Hey," he suddenly called out. "I see a clearing not far from where. Looks like there's a settlement of some sort."

"Built by anyone we know?" Nova called out.

"Can't tell. It does give us a good place to start." Charles put away his binoculars. It was time to descend the tree. He grabbed the vines wrapping around the trunk and began his descent, using the vines like a ladder. These vines were as thick as a person's arms and woven around the tree like a python around its prey. This created obvious and easy to grab ledges. For Charles, this wasn't much different than climbing a rock wall at a fitness center.

Once he reached the ground Martin flexed his fingers, his arms sore and his hands raw from the climb.

"That way," Martin said, pointing to the side. Nova reached behind her and unsheathed a machete. With a powerful swing, she began hacking her way through the underbrush. The team pushed aside some bushes and hacked apart others. Vines, leaves, and branches rained to the floor. Martin pulled one out to and joined her. They tore their way through the forest

Nova led the group on while Corin and Martin talked about all the wild life that could be lurking in the jungle. She only wanted to make sure there wasn't immediate dangers while they were traveling to this settlement Martin saw. Both Milky Way and Pegasus had wild life similar to that on Earth: birds, wolves, boars. Here, in Caldwell 70, the wildlife was even more foreign, and even more unusual. Alien civilizations were not the only things that posed a threat to them. But, for her, this was just part of the fun. Treading through an alien jungle, not sure if the tree in front of them is going to jump up and attack, created a rush of adrenaline that felt amazing. Then, there's the sights. Just in NGC 300, she has seen wonders never seen in the Milky Way. It was just then, she saw one more thing that she could add to her list of wonders.

"Guys," she said, her head tilting back to take in the sight. The rest of them stopped in their tracks, their heads tilting up and their jaws dropping down.

It had been completely overgrown, plants covering it like the rest of the landscape. A large stone temple was hidden in the brush, vines growing across its walls, moss emerging from any cracks. Trees grew all over the stone structure, tree branches jutting into the building then making a hard turn across the surface of the building.

"Well…we found something," Nova remarked, putting away her machete. "The question is, is it Furling? She readied her gun. Usually, they come equipped with P90's, a type of personal defense weapon. This was the standard issue weapon for the SGC, Atlantis Expedition, and Millennium Expedition, chosen because it was designed for close quarters combat and its small size would make it less intimidating compared to the rifles they could carry. But things were different. Not only would the dense jungle affect bullets trajectory, they knew the Quinterans might show up and any moment and personal defense weapons weren't going to cut it. The team had come equipped with M4 carbines. With dense brush to catch the bullets they fire and hide any potential danger, fights were likely to take place at close range and shorter M4 was suited for this.

Nova readied her gun as she approached the structure, brushing aside the vines that hung over the entrance. In the shade, the temple was a lot cooler than outside, the moisture helping cool the air. Light came in through the windows and doors, illuminating the halls inside. With how cramped it was outside, it was almost of breath of fresh air to step in the wide open halls.

"I don't see any symbols or writings," Corin observed.

"Well, we don't exactly just write random words on the walls," Nova remarked. "At least, most people don't." She peeked around the corners, making sure they were empty. Nova was excited they found another structure but somewhat disappointed with what they found. She wanted to find the Furlings, a member of the Allliance of Four Great Races, a race so powerful even advanced races sometimes saw them as gods. This building was anything but advanced. She hoped it was like the stargate, something that liked simple but was actually quite advanced.

"Martin," she said. "Stay with Corin. You two check out the inside. Chen and I will secure the area around this thing." Nova was not keen on going back outside but she had to make sure the area was safe.

"What're we hoping to find here?" Chen asked, cocking his own weapon.

"I don't know but it's still worth looking around," Nova said, turning and heading for the exit. She stepped out into the sun and looked up. She had hoped that the plants would form a thick canopy to shade them. It was hard to tell how big or what shape the structure was because of all the plants but it was now her and Chen's job to find out.

-.-

The day waned on. The sun passed overhead. Clouds would create shade for a few moments before they were blown past. Chen was whistling in boredom, making another lap around the building.

"Terra," he groaned when he spotted Nova turning around the next corner. "I think we've secured the perimeter by now." Nova looked around nervously; Chen could see worry in her eyes. She didn't want to take any chances in keeping the location a secret.

"Alright," she said, looking out across the horizon. "Let's head in." The two of them walked in, leaving the blisteringly hot sun for the shade. Nova glanced over her shoulder as if to make sure nothing was following them in.

"Hey, you hear that?" Chen asked, pausing. The entire building was stone or concrete. Noise reverberated across the solid materials, echoing through the corridors. Chen could hear voices echoing through the building coming from somewhere downstairs. "Corin and Charles chatting it up down there?" Nova fell silent to listen. She could definitely hear Corin's voice but that was the only voice she heard.

"Only if he's talking to himself," she said, cautiously making her way down the stairs. Chen jogged ahead, curious what was going on. She was right; Corin was talking but there were no responses.

"Stargate. Stargate? Uhh…astria porta? No? Valgrind?" These statements echoed out from the room Corin was in.

"Corin, who are you talking to?" Chen asked dully, not in the mood for finding anyone losing their minds. He reached the base of the stairs and practically fell over stopping himself. "Holy crap!" he yelled, raising his gun in shock. Before him stood a huge creature, massive claws on its hands like bowie knives growing out of its fingers. It stood up on its hind legs, instantly rising above his head, its jaws splitting in half, extending rows of huge serrated teeth.

"Wait!' Corin quickly cried out, standing between his friends and the thing. "It's alright, he's ok." Corin understood why Chen was so startled. They've fought man-eating beasts before and this thing looked like something out of a monster movie, the creature that would shred them with its claws and eat them alive. Both Nova and Chen had instinctively raised their guns.

"Corin, you sure about this?" Nova asked, her finger on the trigger, ready to open fire. Corin nodded reassuringly. He understood why Nova's first instinct to an unknown situation was to raise her gun. When things go bad, you have fractions of a millisecond to react, survival depending on whether or not you move fast enough. Corin remembered moments where the only reason they survived was because Nova and Martin's ingrained instincts allowed them to react in time. But this was a different situation. This time, Corin could take center stage and introduce an alien being he knew was friendly.

Hearing Corin's reassurance, Nova gave Chen a nod and they both lowered their guns.

"Mind telling me what this is?" she asked. Their quest to find the Furlings led them hear and they just found a completely inhuman alien. She was hopeful that the thing in front of her was a Furling though she could not help but doubt it.

"Nearest I can tell, this building is a temple," Corin thought aloud. "He may be a worshipper or caretaker."

"So…not Furling?" Nova asked in disappointment, to which Corin shook his head. "How'd you find him?"

"Actually, he found me," Corin stuttered eagerly. Even if it wasn't a Furling, this was a new alien species that not even he has heard of. "I was exploring the lower levels when he came walking in. His nose is moving around a lot so I'm guessing he smelled us." As if to prove it, the creature waddled up to Nova and Chen, gave a few whiffs, then whipped his head away, letting out a snort. "I'm not sure, but I think that he thinks we stink."

"He thinks we stink?" Nova repeated, taking a whiff of the air. "Smells like someone's been boiling sewage water in here." The creature reacted to this statement, letting out a curious croak.

"Ugh," Chen groaned. "His breath smells like bad cheese in a microwave."

At that moment, Martin walked in. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the alien. No one else seemed to be worried about the strange beast so he must be safe…or they all fell victim to alien mind control. Martin decided it was most likely the former and stepped out.

"Oh man!" he coughed, waving his hand in front of his nose. "What is that stench? Is a baby getting its diaper changed in here? And what is _that_ thing?"

"A Furling worshipper," Corin stated simply.

"How can you tell?" Nova asked. Corin pointed at the statue behind him, another Eye of the Furlings, just like the one back on the ice planet. They were so focused on the alien no one noticed it. Chen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small scanner. He approached the artifact, staring at the results on it.

"It's giving off a signal," Chen said, looking at the readings. "But, it's…I don't want to say weak. It's weaker than the signals given off by the artifacts."

"What does that mean?" Nova asked.

"Well, the signals by the other artifacts were supposedly so strong they could be detected by several star clusters. This thing only has a coverage of a few kilometers. Whatever receiving it is on this planet."

"I'm hoping he can tell us something about that," Corin explained. "Problem is, there's a bit of a communication barrier." To reiterate this, the strange alien gave a growling snort, a language they couldn't even speak less learn. "Can't get so much as a name out of him."

"Have you tried straight up asking?" Martin asked. "Oi," he said, immediately catching the alien's attention. "Name: Charles," he said, gesturing to himself. "Chen." Martin gestured at Steven Chen. "What's your name?" Martin pointed at the creature, hoping the alien would catch on. The creature responded with two strange grunts, as if it was snarling through its teeth '_jwar-jwar'_. "Your name?" Martin repeated, to which the creature repeated the same two grunts. "_Name?_"

"Just keep repeating it, Charles; I'm sure he'll figure out the definition eventually," Chen snorted sarcastically. Martin knew Steven was right. But, he didn't need the alien to know the word 'name', only its definition.

"Char-les," Martin said slowly, gesturing toward himself. He even tapped his chest several times for emphasis. He then gestured toward the alien, hoping his game of charades would provide the definition. But, all the creature did was respond with the same two grunts: _'jwar-jwar'_. "Ok, I give up; all this guy's saying it 'jar jar'," Martin sighed in exasperation.

"Have you considered his name is Jar Jar?" Nova proposed. Martin and Chen's faces instantly transformed into unamused stares, not wanting to even consider that possibility. Nova looked at Corin, surprised that the alien linguist had no comment. He quickly took off his back pack and pulled out a notebook and pencil.

"You have something?" Nova asked curiously as Nevec scribbled something on the paper.

"Well, if these guys worship the Furling, it's possible they can read the language," Corin said, showing the alien what he wrote. The thing looked at the paper, cocked its head, then walked off.

"Guess that mean he understands it?" Chen asked. The four of them walked to catch up. The alien took a staircase straight up to the top of the temple. It stopped at the top of the temple, looking out across the trees. Wolf Pack caught up and immediately saw what the alien was trying to show them.

"How did we miss that?" Martin wondered out loud, spotting what looked like a village in the distance. Martin remembered looking across the tree tops but did not remember seeing this village, which seemed to be in plain sight. But, he could not help but feel he did see it before, that he just couldn't remember. Or, more like it had been erased from his memory. Nova watched the sun lowering in the sky. The glowing orb was beginning to turn a shade of orange.

"Martin, take Chen and contact Millennium," she said. "Corin and I will take a look at the village." Chen immediately protested.

"Terra, we should be more focused on finding the Furlings. We can talk with the natives later."

"These natives might know something about the Furlings," she pointed out. "If they realy do worship the Furlings, they might be able to narrow our search. Besides, the sun's setting. We'll need shelter."

"Come on," Martin said, turning around. "At least this jungle's nicer than a lot of the ones back on Earth."

-.-

The doors to Mercer's office slid open, the old General stepping inside. He had just finished his debriefing with the team nicknamed the Tide Gliders. This meant more mission reports to read then file. He sat down at his desk, leaning back in his chair.

"There's no point in hiding," he said loudly. "Among nothing but humans, I can feel the naquadah in your blood stream." He glanced out of the corner of his eye, spotting what looked like a regular soldier in uniform. But Mercer, or rather Am-heh, knew better. The man had been blended with a Tok'ra symbiote; he was a member of orak vu'lom, he was Tok'ra assassin.

"Why did you lie to them?" the Tok'ra asked, his distorted voice reverberating through the room. It was only the two of them, so they could speak freely about their matters.

"I don't recall lying," Mercer stated, folding his hands in front of him. "We are trying to contact the Furlings because we need resources to survive."

"Don't forget why else we need them," the Tok'ra said darkly. "The Furlings may hold the key to the continuation of our species. The Tau'ri may trust you enough to let you prove yourself but we still do not trust you."

"The fact that I'm surrounded by Tok'ra assassins does serve as a constant reminder," Mercer stated. The door to the office suddenly hissed open. Both Mercer and the Tok'ra relaxed and put on a casual smile, making it look like a General and his subordinate were simply gossiping. A doctor walked in, her white lab coat flapping with every step.

"Thank you," Mercer said, taking the clipboard. She grinned and walked out, the door closing behind her. Now that they were alone again, the Mercer's eyes glowed, the symbiote and host trading power. Am-heh was now in control.

"I must wonder, for all your fear of how I plan on dooming both your races in some elaborate scheme, how far will you go to obtain your cure?" Am-heh, the Great Devourer, asked.

"What does that mean?" the Tok'ra snarled.

"Exactly what it sounds like. So far, the Tok'ra and Tau'ri worked side and side because their interests are aligned. But what happens if obtaining the 'cure' demands an action the Tau'ri cannot simply allow? An impossible suicide mission or an act or barbarism? What will you do if these people stand in your way?"

"I think a more pressing question is what we will do if you stand in our way."

Am-heh smiled at this statement, amused by this Tok'ra audacity. He stood up from his chair, folding his hands behind his back.

"If you really think that I am that great of a threat, strike me down…if you can," the legendary Goa'uld chuckled. The two of them glared at each other, venomous eyes locking.

"You're not provoking me into a fight," the Tok'ra finally said, heading for the door. "Be warned though: stand in our way and every assassin on this expedition will spend every waking moment hunting you down and taking you out."

-.-

The sun had finally touched the horizon, casting an orange glow across the land. The clouds in the sky were darkening, an eerie fog rolling through the jungle. Charles Martin and Steven Chen finally reached the stargate. The walk had taken a lot longer than they thought. Navigating the thick underbrush was harder than they thought, especially in the shadows of the trees.

"You were screaming," Martin teased.

"I was not screaming," Chen immediately argued. "I was…yelling loudly."

"And with a very high pitch."

"I don't know if you noticed but that spider was the size of my head."

"Oh I know," Martin said, holding up something in the dark. Chen shined flashlight on the item, realizing it was the arachnid's leg, the length of a person's hand.

"That's messed up," Chen sighed, turning around. He was about to begin dialing the stargate when something caught his attention. Sitting on one side of the stargate the their MALP, but on the other side was some sort of dark gray rover, its sleek metal gleaming in the light of the setting sun, a pair of robotic arms extending forward.

"Ok," Chen said slowly, not sure how to react. "That's not ours." Martin walked around the robot, examining from all angles.

"Looks like someone's version of the MALP," he remarked. "But…oh bugger."

-.-

Nova and Corin had reached the village that the alien had shown them. They were more than surprised to find that the building material of choice was not wood but stone. The houses were all made of rock, firmly put together, cool yet sturdy. Hundreds of aliens roamed about. This was their village; their home.

"Been asking around about the Furlings," Corin said. "But, it's almost as if everyone's dodging the question. They understand what I'm saying but once I begin talking about the Furlings, they immediately change the subject. It's almost like they're hiding something." Nova observed a group of young alien children being led through the huts.

"If they do worship the Furlings, they might be worried about us transgressing on sacred land," Terra thought out loud. It made sense to her. The SGC has encountered primitive societies that would defend sacred ground with their lives.

"Then they tell would us then say we can't go there. It's as if they don't want us to actually find the Furlings. Have the SGC ever seen anything like that before?"

"Not that I can think of. Is it possible that there are no Furlings here at all?"

"Not sure. There's absolutely nothing here that belongs to the Furlings on this planet," Corin said. Nova paused. That didn't sound right.

"Wasn't there a Furling artifact in the temple?" she asked.

"No, aside from our alien friend, the temple was empty," Corin corrected. For Nova, this still didn't feel right. Her memory was blurry; she remembered that Corin showed her a Furling artifact, the Eye of the Furlings as he called it, and Chen even took readings from it. She took a moment to organize her thoughts, her mind clearing. Corin was right, there was no artifact. She was just hoping a scenario like that would happen.

"We'll stick around for a few more minutes," she said. "If we don't find anything, I'm calling the mission a bust."

"Major," Martin's voice said through the radio. "We have an issue. There's some sort of rover in front of the stargate; I think it might belong to the Quinterans. From the boot prints in the mud, I think at least four of them are roaming about."

While Nova was talking with Martin over the radio, Corin could not help but stare into the distance. The area of the jungle had been cleared for the village so a wall of trees surrounded the settlement. Corin stared into this wall, into the darkness cast by the shadows from the setting sun. He imagined all the animals that could live in a jungle like this. But what he saw in the distance was no animal. It looked like a person. It looked like a man was just standing there in the distance, watching him. But, it wasn't the figure that disturbed Corin but his eyes. The ominous man's eyes pierced through the dark as if they somehow reflected the light shined at them. The man in his dark clothing blended in with the shadows but his eyes could be unmistakably seen.

"Corin," Nova's voice suddenly cut in. Corin could've jumped out of his skin, startled by Terra suddenly speaking up. "You ok?" she asked, noticing how pale he was. Corin looked back into the forest but the figure was gone.

"Yeah," he said, turning back to her, trying harder to convince himself.

"We still need to find the Furlings," she emphasized. "You stay here. I need to get Chen and Martin." She readied her weapon before turning and heading off into the dense jungle.

-.-

Nova retraced her steps through the jungle. With how many plants there were, the trampled grass, broken branches, and shifted bushes made it obvious which path she took. However, she paused when she saw the stone temple in front of her. But, that wasn't all she saw. A single Quinteran soldier was making his way around the structure. Nova prepped her gun and slowly made her way toward the figure. The ominous black figure looked exactly like the pictures in the text book she read: a long gray jacket that reached his knees, a tactical vest lined with equipment underneath. A metal helmet sat atop his head, a scarf covering his mouth and nose so only his eyes were visible. The gun in his hand was small, the size of a P90, and its shape was also very similar.

"Found a village," he said through a radio on his wrist. "They might know something about the Furlings."

"And if they don't?" a gruff voice asked back.

"We'll burn it down; they're of no use to us."

Nova crouched, keeping low to the ground, as she approached the Quinteran soldier from behind.

"Don't move," she said, tapping the barrel of the gun against his back. She took a few steps back. She didn't know how skilled the Quinteran soldier was she was not going to give him the chance to try to disarm her. "What happens next is up to you; last time we saw your people, they tried to shoot us." She waited to see if the man had an answer.

"They wouldn't fire without good reason," he said simply.

"We can discuss those reasons later," Nova said, her gun still trained on her target. "But, are we friend or foe?"

"The Quinteran's had enough experiences with so called 'friends.'"

Nova raised an eyebrow at this, saying, "I know. You destroyed them."

"The spoiled brats deserved it. The moment we start gaining galactic power, they start trying to get us to relinquish it. We certainly weren't going to wait for them to attack. All these more advanced races, calling us young, saying we're not advanced enough, and we do what they couldn't. We take down the empires in control at the time. The Ancients chose us to be the Fifth Race of their Alliance, they chose us and not them. Let's see those other arrogant races call us young now."

"That doesn't mean we have to fight," Nova argued, wanting to find the peaceful solution. "When your planet first started to use the stargate, you used it to help defend your planet, Ethara. You used your technology to fight and defend the less advanced cultures. There was a time your people were sickened by the idea of conquering. What happened to you?"

"We grew up. One thing we learned from the Ancients, we don't just sit here and wait to be attacked. We take them out before they get a chance to!" The man began to slowly turn around, unafraid of the weapon pointed at him.

"Don't!" Nova threatened, tightening her grip on her gun.

"We are the Fifth Race," he preached, turning to face her. "You and all the other advanced races are simply trying and failing to follow in our footsteps. We were chosen and not you."

Nova considered telling the man the Asgard picked Earth, the Tau'ri, to be the fifth race but feared this could lead to a violent confrontation. It seemed hard to believe that these people once dedicated themselves to helping the galaxy. It was as if they had become intoxicated by the title they were given.

Nova froze when she noticed three other shadows coming up behind her. He was just a patrol, this was the rest of the team. She glanced behind her. In the shadows of the setting sun, it looked like they were part of the darkness. Though, she could not help but wonder: what was with their eyes? Their dark uniforms helped them blend into the shadows but their eyes pierced through the darkness. With the technology and knowledge the Ancients left behind, these people likely made a whole slew of modifications to their own physiology. She understood; these people may have looked human but they were anything but.

"Kill her," the man ordered. Terra closed her eyes. Her attempt to work out something peaceful had been in vain and she was going to die because of it.

There was a sharp crack as a blue bolt of energy flew out of the forest and hit the ground at their feet. Nova felt the air around her blast apart, the shockwave knocking her off her feet. It knocked all of them off their feet, dirt flung up into the air and sprinkling down on all of them. Terra Nova clung to her ear in pain, unable to get rid of the ringing. The explosion was so close it wouldn't have surprised her if she had actually gone deaf. But, she could hear the sounds of the world around her coming back. This was her time to escape. She stumbled into the forest as another bolt of energy flew past, another explosion blasting the Quinterans off their feet in a cloud of dirt and dust. She was too dazed to really know what was happening but a figure quickly ran up beside her and led her off into the forest.

"You ok?" Chen asked, looking into Terra's eyes. Nova spotted Martin coming up beside them, ion rifle in hand. She gave a small chuckle, realizing what fired those energy bolts.

"Yeah," she said, standing up. "C'mon, we gotta get out of here."

"Too late for that!" Chen yelled in shock. Nova and Martin turned to look in the direction Chen was pointing at. The Quinterans were after them. They charged through the forest at impossible speeds, leaping over fallen trees and ducking under branches and not slowing down one bit. Back on the ice planet, they were running through knee-high snow as if they weren't slowed down at all. Nova realized that they were slowed down, they just could run so fast that the snow only slowed them down to normal speeds.

"Kill them!" one of them yelled. The four Quinteran soldiers pulled out their guns and opened fire, their tracer rounds streaking through the trees making it looked like purple bolts of energy were flying by. Moving while shooting was hard enough and even when it did happen, the person could only walk. These four Quinteran soldiers were firing their weapons while charging at full sprint. They were fairly accurate too. Bullets ripped through the nearby trees, sending splinters flying in all directions. Martin began firing wildly in their direction, plumes of dirt thrown into the air with each shot.

"Why can't we hit these buggers?!" Martin yelled in frustration over the roar of the fight.

"Just keep shooting!" Nova ordered, pulling out of pistol and firing both her weapons in their direction. And the Quinteran soldiers simply flew through the hailstorm of bullets like it was nothing.

"They aren't slowing down!" Chen called out. He thought that firing at these guys would at least scare them enough to stop charging. Tired of this fight, Martin set his ion rifle to maximum yield and fired it at the ground in front of the enemy soldiers. The explosion set two of them flying through the air. The third one was finally dissuaded, choosing to take cover rather than close the distance. Quinteran soldiers were fast but they weren't as hardy as a Ror'char trooper, who are able to absorb massive amounts of damage without any issue.

Martin immediately took advantage of the situation, setting the rifle back to intermediate yield. He aimed at one of the fallen Quinteran and fired just as the man got up, the less powerful bolt still strong enough to blow straight through flesh and armor.

Nova remembered Mercer ordered each team to carry at least one alien weapon for the specific purpose of evening the odds. It looked like the ion rifle was the deciding factor in this battle. Martin's weapon had easily dispatched one enemy and left the other one wounded. As far as Nova was concerned, she could leave the wounded Quinteran alone. At least, so she thought. At the last moment, she saw his gleaming eyes moving across the ground. Despite the blast of the explosion demolishing both his legs, the wounded Quinteran soldier was still able to fight. He lost his gun so he crawled across the ground, heaving himself with his arms, what was left of his legs being dragged behind. The cloth that had covered his mouth had fallen, revealing his vicious smile. If these people didn't already look inhuman, the Quinteran soldier now looked like a crazed madman, thirsty for blood. He pulled out a dagger and prepared to stab her but Chen had noticed to and finished him off with a single burst of bullets.

This left the last one which Nova stepped out and sprayed with bullets. The Quinteran soldier, genetically modified and enhanced, was able to withstand the gunfire for a few moments, shielding his face with his arms, but he soon gave in to his wounds as the bullets tore into his abdomen. He collapsed in a heap, smoke rising from where the bullets impacted.

Terra gave a sigh of relief. She and Chen took the time to reload their guns, the nearly empty magazines dropping to the ground.

"Wait a minute," Martin remarked, counting the bodies. "Weren't there four of these blokes?"

-.-

The last Quinteran soldier had made it to the stargate and already dialed out. The sun was now completely hidden behind the trees, leaving the sky orange but the jungle completely dark. The glow of the stargate's event horizon was the only source of light.

"We have confirmation," he said through his radio. "There is some sort of Furling presence on this planet."

"Recommendations?" a voice asked back.

"There's a village nearby that might know something. They either give us what we want or we'll tear the place apart until we find it."

It was Wolf Pack's turn to do the chasing. They rushed out of the jungle, guns at the ready. Unfortunately, bursting out of the dense trees was anything but silent and the Quinteran soldier immediately noticed them.

"Lower the shield, I'm coming through!" he yelled.

Terra Nova still couldn't get over how fast they could move. One moment he was just standing there and the next moment he had already taken off through the gate.

"Damn!" Nova cursed as the gate shut off. Even if it had been left on, blindly charging through would be the equivalent of suicide without knowledge of what was there. He had gotten away.

"From the sounds of it, they'll be back with reinforcements," Chen growled, his fist clenching in frustration.

"Gentlemen," she said announced. "Our job just got a lot harder. If we don't find the Furlings soon, we're all dead."


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had completely set, darkness engulfing the jungle. The only light was from the moon but the trees prevented it from reaching the ground, making it pitch black everywhere except the tree tops. The stargate was active, the glimmering wormhole.

"I don't know how much time we have, but I think it's a fair bet to say the Quinterans will be back with a vengeance," Nova said through the radio. "We've stepped up our efforts to seek out the Furlings."

"We could send in the Spartans," General Mercer selected, confident that this combat unit could provide support. Nova considered this for a moment. If they do choose to stay behind to search for the Furlings, then they would be gambling with the lives of everyone involved. If they failed, then everyone involved would get killed. But, the chance of succeeding would be better if they had more people. And if they failed, that even more people that would die.

"I think we can handle this," she said. She felt like she was going to regret this decision. "But, I do have a few requests."

-.-

Corin was still at the alien village. Nova hadn't returned yet and it has been several minutes since the sound of gunfire echoed from the jungle. He looked at all the alien villagers, who still went about their daily business. Some of them seemed nervous about the sound of the fight.

"Corin."

Corin Nevec jumped in surprise when he heard his name called over the radio. A wave of relief just flooded his veins. She was all right and she sounded very calm. He clicked on the radio.

"Terra?" he called out in relief, happy she was ok. "What's going on? I heard gunfire."

"We had a run-in with a Quinteran scouting team. One of them managed to get away. I think we can expect reinforcements very soon."

Corin felt his blood run cold. He looked around him, staring at all the villagers going about their regular business. If the Quinterans were come in force, then they would all be massacred. He spotted their old alien friend staring curiously at him. If only he could warn them how much danger they were all in.

"What are we going to do then?" he asked.

"Keep working at the village," Nova ordered. "The rest of us are going to buy some time."

The phrase 'buy some time' chilled Corin's blood. He couldn't imagine only four of them holding off an entire army.

"Terra," he protested but Nova cut in.

"Don't worry about it," she said calmly. "Chen's got an idea. Just keep looking for the Furlings; we'll be back soon enough."

Corin stared into the jungle. It was all up to him to find the Furlings.

-.-

Now that the sun was no longer out, Nova put her hat away. She looked at the stargate, which now had several large logs, giant rocks, and fallen trees piled inside of its ring. The Millennium kept the gate open as long as possible while they gathered the materials from the jungle. Once they thirty-eight minute mark was up, they spent several minutes putting this together. Terra Nova wanted to reduce the Quinterans window of opportunity to dial to as small as possible.

"You think this'll work?" she asked, staring at the mess they made.

"We can pray," Chen sighed, his hand on his gun. "A wormhole won't form only if there is a significant obstruction in the way, this way a leaf or twig won't stop the stargate from opening. Hopefully we put enough crap inside the stargate for it to register as an obstruction."

"And if we didn't?" Martin posed the question.

"Well…then the stargate activates, disintegrates what we did put there, and the goon squad comes marching in. Look, we've never exactly measure how much mass it takes to block the stargate."

Terra Nova kept her eyes on the silver ring. If they continued piling wood on, then they risked knocking over their entire stack that they already made. All in all, there was no point in being here.

"C'mon," she said. "Let's go see if Corin's had any luck." She stooped over and picked up a pair of large crates, the supplies she requested. The three of them went to turn around and head to the village when a familiar sound caught their attention. Nova glanced behind her, praying that she heard wrong. Perhaps it was a wild animal. Or maybe it was just her imagination. Nope. One by one, the milky white chevrons around the stargate began rapidly lighting up.

"Looks like we're going to find out if our work paid off," Nova said, quickly setting down the crates. They all aimed their guns at the gate, not sure what to expect. The last chevron lit up. Nova crouched over to make herself a smaller target. She trained her gun on the stargate, iron sights lining up. The giant stone ring powered up, ratting as energy surged through its unseen power conduits. The gate hummed to life…then hummed off, the chevrons dimming.

They all let out a huge sigh of relief. If their little barricade hadn't worked, they'd be fighting an army right now. But, they had managed to pile the stargate with enough debris that it could not open.

"C'mon," Nova repeated. "Hopefully that'll hold." She may have sounded confident but she could not help but feel afraid. As a soldier, she knew her job was dangerous but no soldier wants to just die, none of them wants their life to just stop. But, she could not help but feel that this is exactly what will happen. It felt like there was a timer counting down to when they die. They could add more time but they could not stop it from reaching zero. The Quinterans were coming to kill them all.

-.-

Corin leaned back in his chair, watching the alien family play around the household. Apparently, their alien friend was a father and this was his family. Their giant alien friend offered Corin a fruit and a knife to cut it.

_"Chwar-gin,"_ it grunted.

"Chwar-gin," Corin repeated. He had spent the past half hour trying to learn their language. He was having trouble mimicking the words. "Chwar means meat," Corin said to himself. "And gin is fruit. Meat fruit?" He accepted the knife and fruit with a bow. He cut into it, not sure what to expect. But, he certainly did not expect blood to suddenly come seeping out of it. Corin let out a yelp and tossed the fruit on the table in surprise. He couldn't tell if this was a plant with animal-like qualities or an animal with plant-like qualities. In a way, he should've expected this; their diet was exclusively meat.

The alien family looked at him in surprise, not expecting the strange pink person to yell. Once they realized that he got scared by their food, they began letting out a series of rhythmic croaks. Corin realized that they were laughing at him. This was perfect; he needed to have a conversation going.

Corin took out a notepad and wrote down 'Furling' in the Furling language. He showed the alien what he wrote, hoping they could talk about it. Instead, the alien held up a plate of cooked meat as if he was offering food. Corin gestured to the word but the alien only held the plate of food out further.

Corin set down the notepad and gave a sigh. He wanted to find the Furlings but he was just about to give up asking these things.

There was a creak as the door opened, Terra, Charles, and Steven walking in.

"Should've guessed," Chen remarked.

"How'd you know I was in this house?" Corin asked, standing up, knowing that Nova would want to know what's happening. He was relieved that they finally returned.

"We heard you scream," Chen chuckled. His smile suddenly vanished when he saw the fruit on the table. "Is that apple…bleeding?" Nova, however, was not concerned about the fruit.

"Wait for us outside," Nova said to Chen and Martin. The two men picked up the cases and walked back out the door. "Have you found anything about the Furlings?" she asked Corin, who glanced back at the alien, thinking about how it refused to talk about the topic.

"Every time I ask, they change the subject," Corin explained. "What about the Quinterans?"

"We've sealed the gate but that only buys a little more time."

Corin looked back at the alien family when he heard this.

"If the Quinterans show up, they'll slaughter everyone," he breathed. "Even if we can't find the Furlings, we have to warn them."

"Then I'll leave that to you," Nova said. "The rest of us are going to see what resources we have."

"Terra," Corin protested. "I'm learning an entire language from scratch in a matter of minutes. Like, I can learn the names of objects but I'm not going to figure out their language enough to tell warn them about what's coming."

"Corin, you're more qualified than any of us are. The Quinteran are coming. It might be in one hour, it might be in two, it might be in three, but they'll be here. Our only question is how we're going to deal with them. Worse comes to worse, we can just pack up and go."

"And leave these people to be slaughtered?"

"I'm just listing our options."

"Look, maybe we find the Furlings and they can stop the Quinteran but…I don't know if I can get them to tell me what they know."

"Then you better start working on it," Nova said, preparing to leave.

-.-

Now that night had fallen, all the aliens had gone inside. Stores and workshops closed, the tables in the streets where they could sit to rest their feet were now empty. The only light came from the moon, which was unusually bright. Chen and Martin sat down at one of these tables, setting the crates on the ground.

"It feels like we're preparing for a war," Chen remarked, glancing at their new equipment.

"We probably are," Martin said. "At least we know we're using this stuff for the right reasons." Chen raised an eyebrow at this, surprised by the way Charles said this.

"Somebody's pissed."

"It's nothing," Martin immediately said, changing the subject. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to insist on not talking about it. At that moment, Nova exited the door, her M4 cradled in her arms.

"Gentlemen," she said, looking at the two of them. "Here, let's go over what we have to work with." She took the first case and set it out on the table. "Well, we now have enough food and water for a few days. I also requested some extra ammunition as well as two M249's. We also have the guns the other three Quinteran soldiers dropped. Who knows, it might provide a little more firepower. If we find a place to hunker down, we might be able to hold out for a while."

"I hope you're not thinking of holding out here," Martin said, looking at all the stone huts. Nova understood Martin's sentiment. Urban combat was a soldier's worst nightmare. With a dense population, you could be shooting at an enemy and have your bullets miss and hit an innocent civilian.

"We're not actually considering to stay and fight?" Chen asked. "As great and honorable as that is, it's pointless suicide. We and the villagers get killed and nothing's gained. I'm not saying it's not an option, I'm just saying it's a terrible one."

"You have a suggestion?" Martin asked. Chen didn't like the idea but it was the best one in his opinion.

"We run. A single shot from the ion rifle will clear the barricade enough for the stargate to activate. We can dial out and head to the Millennium."

"What about the villagers?" Martin asked, horrified by the suggestion.

"Corin can convince them evacuate," Chen explained. "We can all just go and no one has to die, no one has to get killed. If we do stay, we're not just gambling with our lives; we're gambling with the lives of everyone living here."

"And the Furlings?" Nova asked. "If we turn our back on this, we might never get another chance. They're nothing but a story to us right now but finding them may end up saving lives too."

"We have a fair amount of firepower here," Martin pointed out. "You obviously considered staying and fighting."

"It's for _if_ we stay," Nova corrected. "If we do stay, we're going to need all the firepower we can get. Better to have it and not need than to need it and not have it. But, if I don't see a good reason, I'm inclined to just order us to head back to Millennium."

They all fell silent, thinking about their options. There was not denying that they all thought giving up on their search and fleeing was the best option. It was the option where everyone lived. But, they would have to give up searching for the Furlings.

-.-

Corin continued watching the alien and his family. He could not help but feel bad how oblivious they were to what was coming.

"If only you knew what was going to happen," he sighed. "Why are you guys hiding stuff from us? We're not here to hurt you." The alien looked at Corin again, slowly picking up the notepad. It opened to the page with the word 'Furling' written in the Furling language. It pointed at the word and made a guttural growl, _"Chya"_

"Chya," Corin repeated with interest. This was the first time any of the aliens actually decided to talk about the Furlings in any way. It wasn't much but it was a start. "I have no idea what that means." The alien tapped the word again and repeated his growl. Corin had no idea what the alien was saying but he might as well try to explain his intentions.

"Us," he said, gesturing toward himself. "Friends." He held his hands together in an attempt to indicate a strong bond. "With the Furlings." He pointed at the word he had written. He looked at the alien but gave another sigh. "I have no idea if you understood what I just said." When he held his hands together to indicate friendship, they could've simply interpreted it holding hands. It was possible the gesture he made already had a predetermined meaning in the alien's culture. They couldn't even communicate each other's names; how could they hope to ask about the Furlings.

"CORIN!" a voice yelled from outside. Corin stood up and quickly left the house. He hadn't noticed it inside but it was very obvious outside. The clouds were gathering together, creating a huge menacing formation of black.

"We're out of time," Nova said, staring at the sky. Blue bolts of energy were faining to the ground as if they were flares. The ship had just arrived. Martin and Chen watched as small T-shaped jets swooped through the air in any direction.

"What are those things, fighter jets?" Martin yelled, watching as the jets buzzed across the landscape.

"I think they're UAV's," Chen said. The walls were closing in on them and they were just moments from getting crushed. There was an hourglass to their death and they needed to find a way to add more sand.

Corin stared up at the sky in fear. Wolf Pack gathered in the village square, staring at the sky. Everyone in the village was up and about, women bringing the children in doors while the men were running about with large spears in their hands, many of them wearing shiny metallic armor.

"Terra, what do we do? Chen asked, aiming at the sky. He could shoot down a UAV or two but if the big ship shows up, bullets aren't even going to scratch it. Nova looked around at the villagers; she had made up her mind.

"Corin," she called out. "Do you think you can convince the villagers to leave?" She hated running. They could stay and fight but she saw no reason to. They were no closer to finding the Furlings than they were a few hours ago.

Corin felt his jaw drop. He could barely talk to these people let alone send a clear message. Corin felt a sturdy hand on his arm and looked up. Their alien friend had decided to come outside, staring at the four humans curiously. It held a large spear in one hand and some small object in the other. It held out its hand, a bundled cloth resting in the middle of it. Corin took the bundle in his hands and opened it. Resting in the center was an oval golden gem. Nova leaned over and looked at the object. She remembered SG-1's mission report of when Harry Maybourne approached the SGC with the key to a Furling archway. This thing in the cloth looked exactly like that key.

"What is he doing?" Nova demanded to know. Corin watched as the alien gestured toward the jungle. He was confused at first but suddenly felt a surge of excitement when he realized what the alien was saying.

"I think he just pointed to us where the Furlings are."

Nova looked toward the jungle the alien was pointing at, not comforted by the statement.

"Without clear directions, we'd be searching for a needle in a haystack," she said. Corin looked at the alien, picking up the key, spotting something scribbled on the cloth it was in. He glanced at the jungle, his hopes rapidly fading away. Every moment of indecision meant another moment the Quinterans could use to muster and attack. But, at that moment he suddenly knew. It was as if all his prayers came true. He looked at the key in surprise. It was almost like this tiny object was telling him where to go.

"I know where it is," he said. Nova looked at him in disbelief and shock.

"How?"

"You're going to have to trust me; I know where to find the Furlings."

Major Terra Nova stared at Corin, considering his words. The lives of her entire team rested on her decision. If she was to order them to leave now, she knew for a fact they would survive. But, if they stayed, their survival depended on finding the Furlings.

"How?" she repeated, not wanting to gamble all of their lives. This concept of dying on a mission sounded so heroic on paper, but she did not want her life to simply be extinguished.

"I think it's this key," Corin tried to explain. "When I touch it, I can hear it; whispers in the back of my head. I know where the Furlings are."

A roar shook the village as a much larger fighter jet swooped through the air.

"You know, back on my planet, hearing voices in your head is usually a sign of you going crazy!" Nova snapped, still unsure whether or not to follow this. "Damn it," she muttered. "Tell the villagers to run while they can; we can handle it from here."

"I don't think they have any intention to run," Corin explained, looking around at the scrambling aliens.

"They can't fight the Quinterans!"

Nova didn't know whether the alien understood her or whether it was by coincidence it decided to demonstrate his weapon. It aimed the spear at the ground in front of them. There was a crack as a crimson bolt of energy streaked from its tip to the ground, tossing up a tower of dirt into the air. Even the Major had to admit she was impressed. The alien gave an insistent growl, pointing toward the jungle again.

"They're going to fight," she breathed, looking all around her. "Corin, tell them to run," she ordered. "You don't have to be here, just go!" she yelled at the alien they had met, who only shook his head. They made up their minds. The aliens were going to fight. The aliens were going to be slaughtered. She stared out across the village, frozen in place, not sure what to do. These people were twice their size, armed with razor sharp teeth and claws, and had energy weapons, but it was still a hopeless battle. She didn't want to condemn these people to death but they were buying her and her team time to get the Furlings. But, standing still was not going to change the situation; she had to make up her mind.

"Alright," she announced loudly. "Martin, help me with these boxes. Corin, lead the way." She then felt a firm hand grab her wrist. She looked up to see their alien friend staring at her. It gave a grateful bow before pointing toward the jungle again. It wanted them to go while they still could.

Corin gripped the key tightly in his hand. It all came down to this.

-.-

_"They're not animals, they're people. Just because they don't look like us doesn't make them any less like us."_

_"We're not going to let these people get killed. Round up all our men and get the ready for action. We're defending them at all costs."_

_"Contact HQ and tell them to round up some medical supplies. We can help these folks in more ways than one."_

A long time ago, those were the statements uttered by Quinteran forces when they were still exploring the galaxy. A long time ago, they were the 'young' ones. A long time ago, their potential was recognized and they were given technology that they could use to defend both themselves and others. But, that was a long time ago.

The Quinteran UAV's circled the skies for hours, searching for anything that could be Furling. It was hard to tell through the dense jungle but the cameras were able to see several stone temples scattered across the landscape. As the unmanned drones flew back over the alien village, what had become of it was very apparent. The Quinteran mandate was the elimination of all potential threats to their homeworld of Ethara and these aliens, aliens that lived in primitive villages but carried spears that could fire bolts of energy, qualified. The aliens put up a good fight but their spear weapons were no match for the Quinteran automatic ones, true weapons of war.

Flames billowed into the air from the carnage as a mob of Quinteran soldiers charged out of the smoke, weapons in hand, their long jackets flapping behind them as they rushed head first, eager for the kill. The alien warriors were on the frontlines, trying desperately to defend their village. Sparks flew from their chest piece as bullets punched through the armor and riddled their bodies. Then there were the crowds, crowds of civilians who could not fight; they could only run and the Quinterans went after them too. The crowds of people fled desperately while the bullets flew into them. They toppled over like dominos by the dozens, letting out one final cry of horror before their lives slipped away. Some tried to hide inside, barricading the doors, but they realized the futility as grenades were thrown through the windows. There were a few that seemed to manage to get away but then, in a brilliant flash of light, a group of Quinteran soldiers would materialize in front of them, immediately opening fire on the fleeing group.

-.-

Wolf Pack was still on the move, running through the jungle as fast as they could. Corin didn't know whether it was the Furlings communicating through the key or whether it was simply designed to do this but it was as if he knew exactly what direction to go, leading his friend deeper into the jungle. They could see the devastation behind them, the flames lighting up the area. Nova tried not to think about it but she knew that hundreds were dying so they could reach the Furlings. They were not going to let those sacrifices be in vain, she swore on her life.

A UAV flew overhead, its camera suddenly spotting the four. The jungle may be thick but the trees were not impenetrable and with dozens of UAV's flying through the air, all it took was for one to spot the team. The signal was sent back to the Quinteran battlecruiser, a video feed showing what was seen. At that moment, the signal was sent out, an order playing through the radio of every Quinteran soldier on the ground. The unmanned machine would continue following its prey to the best of its abilities now that it has something to follow.

-.-

By the time they had reached the temple, they were all out of breath. Corin hunched over, panting, wiping some sweat off his brow.

"This is it," he said, looking up. Out of the sun during the day and the cold air during the night, a cool wind blew through the stone structure. Nova, Martin, and Chen also peeked in. It was certainly different from the one they were in before, must larger and more spacious. But, they didn't see anything that could lead to the Furlings.

"It's down there," Corin said, quickly heading into the temple. The rest of the team followed, walking down the only flight of stairs to the bottom. Underground, where the only light were piles of glowing crystals, was what they were looking for. They didn't even need to shine their flashlights; they could see exactly what they needed at the end of a massive chamber. Two sets of stairs on either end of the chamber led here to this chamber, a small ramp leading to the centerpiece of the temple, columns on either side of it.

"Well…that's something," Chen remarked.

There it was at the far end of the room, it looked like a large circular archway, symbols inscribed in the ring. In one way it looked like a stargate. In another, it looked like the Furling archway SG-1 once discovered. Nova knew it was likely a combination of both, built during the height of the Alliance of Four Great Races and left behind for over a thousand years.

Corin eagerly walked up to it, examining the structure.

"We found it," he said eagerly it, putting his hand on the circular ark. They were one step closer to their goals.

"Ok…how do we open it?" Nova asked. She wanted to meet the infamous Furling too but they still had one more step to complete. Corin froze when he heard Nova ask this. He looked at the key still in his hand. He spotted a panel on the wall, an obvious location for the key to be placed. He put the key in and stepped back, expecting something to happen. But nothing did.

"So close and yet so far," Chen said, shaking his head in exhaustion. Nova stared at the circular ark. She was so close to finding the Furlings. She felt like she could just touch them if she just reached out.

"What do we do, Major?" Martin asked, glancing back.

"We're not giving up now," Terra said firmly, thinking about the alien village that had willingly stayed behind so they could make this journey. For all she knew they were all dead, sacrificing themselves. She was not letting their deaths be in vain. "Corin, you somehow knew where this place was. Do you think you can figure out how to activate the ark?"

Corin opened the cloth that originally held the key, remembering the drawings he saw in there.

"I think so," he said hopefully. "I think the key works telepathically, leading the person to this ark. And I think the cloth holds instructions on how to open it."

"Hey remember that one SG mission report with that Furling portal?" Martin spoke up. "Didn't that need some sort of code to activate?"

"A specific combination," Nova corrected. "You think you can figure it out?" she asked Corin.

"I can try," he replied. Nova turned and looked out across the horizon behind her. The red flames of the destruction could still be seen.

"A UAV saw us before we got in," she said. "We better figure out a defense for when they show up. I don't know about you guys but I prefer not to die."

"All this crap just to find a bunch of intergalactic teletubbies," Chen sighed, shaking his head.

"Martin," Nova said, ignoring the comment. "You and Chen take a walk around the temple, see what the lay of the land is." Nova stooped over and picked up one of the cases. "I'll be right back," she said. Martin wanted to ask what the Major was up to. The case she picked up was the one filled with their grenades and other explosives. But, he trusted that she knew what she was doing.

"C'mon, mate," he said to Chen, brandishing his ion rifle as he looked around the room. "Oi, Corin, you sure you're going to be ok alone?"

"I'll be fine," Corin insisted. "I just want this whole thing to be over with."

"No pressure, the entire alien village just got killed for us to do this and now our lives are in your hands," Chen snorted sarcastically. Corin gave Chen an annoyed stare, not needing that little remark. It was true, but not needed.

-.-

Nova lost track of time as she continued working in the jungle. Her flashlight was in her mouth, her hands hard at work. Adrenaline was still flooding her body, ever sense heightened. The Quinterans were coming. For all she knew they were already here and a bullet could just zoom through the trees and hit her. She took some leaves and gently placed it on her work. She looked up and felt her heart sink. A dark mass now floated in the sky, flying toward the temple.

"Crap," she muttered. This was the last thing she could do. The Quinterans were done dealing with the villagers and now were coming for them. Nova took the remaining two claymores and attached them on her tactical vest before turning around and heading back.

"Major Nova, come in."

Nova heard Martin's voice crackle through the radio.

"I read you," she said, jogging through the jungle back to the temple.

"Major, I think the ship's arrived."

"I know" she grumbled. "I'm heading back." She took off at full sprint or the temple. Hopefully Corin had finished his little puzzle and they could immediately head through. Their only hope of survival was finding the Furlings. Nova could not help but question her choice of staying to continue their search. If they do succeed then this would be looked back on as a reasonable risk. If they failed and were all killed, then this decision would be remembered as a stupid one that got her and her team killed.

Her legs were sore by the time she got back. She glanced at the ship which shined spotlights over the trees, looking for them.

"Alright, sit-rep and make it fast," she said to Martin as she leapt inside.

"There's plenty of cover around the temple," Martin quickly babbled as they walked in together. "The whole place is backed against a cliffs side so there's only one way in. We could blind fire into the trees to buy some time. Problem is, the trees also act as cover. If they manage to reach the temple, the doorways make great chokepoints. There are a pair of SAW's in the other case. Focus fire on the chokes, we could buy a little more time…until they start using grenades. No matter what we do, all we achieve is buying a little more time. We can't win unless we find the Furlings."

"Then that's up to Corin," Nova replied as they reached the lower level where both Corin and Chen looked at the machine. Corin was now spinning the key, the leaf-shaped emblems around it lighting up as he did. She held her breath eagerly. Had he solved it? Corin made one last turn but all the lights immediately shut off. The combination was incorrect.

"Come on!" Corin yelled in frustration. He noticed Martin and Nova standing at the bottom of the stairs. "I know we're out of time," he said, not looking at them. "I've nearly got it."

"I believe you," Nova said optimistically, readying her gun. She looked up at the ceiling above the stairs. "Martin, do you think your ion rifle could cause a minor cave in?" she asked. "If we blow the ceiling right above the stairs, it would make a nice barricade."

"Wanna do it now?" he asked.

"Not yet. That's our last line of defense. We have to do everything we can to keep them out of the temple."

She and Martin both went back up to the surface, staring out into the jungle.

"What about the ship?" he asked.

"They're here looking for the Furlings. They probably aren't afraid of doing a little damage but they definitely aren't going to blow this place to kingdom come. This the fourth and final race of the Alliance. The only question we need to ask ourselves is whether finding them is really worth the risk.

-.-

Beyond the horizon, hidden by the dense trees, the Quinterans were preparing themselves for the fight. Every surviving troop gathered before the temple.

"This is the only temple in the direction those four humans were running to, our UAV's confirm it," one of the soldiers said to his superior. "It appears to be shielded from out transporters. We'll have to make the journey on foot."

"The fight with the natives have cost us nearly half of our men and most of our heavy equipment," another soldier growled angrily.

"But our spirits have never been higher," another one chirped in, relishing at the thought of finally finding the Furlings.

"Your orders, Colonel Krampus?" a soldier asked eagerly. Colonel Krampus stood at the front, tall, muscular, short spiky blonde hair. She could see the temple through the trees and smiled.

"Go in there, find those humans, and you grind their corpses into a red paste," she said. But this order wasn't enough. She wanted to hear the words leave her own mouth. "Kill them," she said. She pulled out her machete, bloodlust in her eyes, holding it high the air then pointing it at the temple, screaming the final order so that all her men could hear: "KILL THEM ALL!"

The Quinteran forces, this nightmare army, gave an eager battle cry, a yell that echoed through the jungle, charging forward. They bolted through the trees, leaping over fallen logs, speeding through the leaves.

From the temple corridor, Nova could hear the yell of the enemy soldiers. The darkness, she could see their inhuman eyes pierce the darkness.

"I can't help but wonder what the Quinterans used to be," she said to Martin. "They did something that earned the trust and respect of the Ancients. There were something that the Ancients trusted with their technology and knowledge before they left. They had a dream of a brighter future but this was nothing but a nightmare and this galaxy will pay for it. These things coming for us, they look human, even sound human. But, they are anything but. They were once the savior or worlds. Now, they are nothing but the destroyers."

The Quinteran horde continued their charge, running past obstacles with ease. That's when it happened. One of the soldiers leapt over a fallen tree and landed on the ground with a click. He looked down in surprise. There nothing beneath him but a thin vine. He didn't see what made the noise but he found out soon enough. A grenade attached to the base of a nearby tree finally detonated, shrapnel spraying in every direction. Not long after, there was another explosion elsewhere in the jungle, and another one not long after that.

"Mines!" a Quinteran finally screamed, realizing what was happening. "They've set mines!" The troops all stopped in their tracks, looking around them in fear. The dense jungle made it next to impossible to locate all the traps. There could've only been three or the entire path there could've been filled with booby traps. Even Martin heard their cry of terror. He looked at the Major, almost admiring her tactics. Grenades could be used to hold corners and chokes but at the risk of their own lives. By setting these mines, not only were they safe they've bought much more time.

"That won't stop them," she said. "It'll buy us some time but they're still coming." She readied her gun. "We can set the claymores inside and aim them at the entrance." She and Martin turned to leave. They barely took a step when they suddenly fell to the ground, the world spinning around them. Wind sent leaves and dirt through the air. They picked themselves up, trying to figure out what just happened. Flames billowed from used to be the jungle in front of the temple. The area was now practically gone, flaming trees just barely standing, the bushes, leaves, vines, and shrubs completely blown or burned away. The battlecruiser floating in the sky was firing at the jungle in front of the temple, explosions engulfing the trees. Purple streaks hit the ground, a wall of fire surging in every direction.

"I thought you said the ship wouldn't fire," Martin gaped, looking at the burning landscape.

"I said they wouldn't fire at the temple," Nova corrected. "They just fired at the mines." She watched as the ship finally stopped firing and hundreds of men came charging through the flames. There usually is a more complicated process of finding and removing traps such as these, preferred because they cost fewer resources and the mines were more difficult to find and disarm. But, these were not mines per se. They were simply rigged grenades and claymores and carpet bombing that section of the jungle would easily clear them out. "We're about to be overrun."

"Well, it bought us a full minute," Martin remarked optimistically. "C'mon, we should-" He never got the chance to finish his statement. He and the Major leapt to the ground as bullets whizzed by. The barrage of bullets was so thick that standing up would be suicide. Nova raised her M4 and began blindly firing across the field as a hailstorm of enemy bullets flew back. She yelled in shock as her gun shattered in her hands. She may have been safe behind cover but the spray of bullets was enough to hit her gun. They couldn't keep the fight out here. She grabbed Martin's arm and dragged him inside. She stopped to begin setting the claymores, aiming the directional explosives at the entrance and quickly unraveling the wire. Martin got to his feet just as Nova finished setting up. It was just in time. Quinterans were already speeding toward the entrance. She and Martin ducked out of sight before pressing the detonator. The shaped explosive went off with a deafening boom that rattled the whole temple, a wall of pellets tearing through the Quinteran vanguard unit. But, it didn't stop them. Nova knew this as she and Martin descended the stairs. With how fast the Quinterans could move, they had less than a minute.

-.-

Chen and Corin looked up in surprise when they saw Nova and Martin sprint down the stairs.

"We got it!" Corin yelled victoriously, inserting the final combination. He felt the hairs on his neck stand on end when he heard the ark begin powering up. He stepped away as the thing began to rumble, energy surging through it. He watched as a crimson vortex formed inside the ring, spinning like a whirlpool, its red light illuminating the room.

"Go!" Nova ordered, yanking out her berretta. Corin may have seen the ark as a way to find the Furlings but right now Nova only saw it as a way to escape. Corin Nevec prepared to jump through but dove to the floor as purple streaks flew across the room. Nova aimed and fired at the stairway the Quinterans were descending from. Even if she didn't get a hit, it should dissuade them from just charging in. She ran forward to help Corin up to his feet. Martin was firing the ion rifle at the other stairwell, the explosions keeping back all the enemy soldiers. That's when he realized more were coming down the stairwell the Major was no longer firing at.

"Look out!" he yelled. Nova immediately saw the Quinteran soldiers aiming at them. Instinct kicked in and she shoved Corin away just as the Quinteran soldiers opened fire. She let out a yell of pain as a hailstorm of bullets tore into her body, sending her stumbling backwards and through the portal. Martin aimed and fired his ion rifle at the three Quinterans. At maximum yield, it had the force of a small concussion grenade. The bolt of energy hit the center one and a skull-crushing pressure wave hit the other two.

"Major!" he yelled in shock when he realized Nova had fallen through the portal. He watched as the portal closed before his eyes. He looked around wildly. Quinterans were closing in from both sides. Leaving cover to activate the ark again was impossible. They had completely missed their opportunity to escape. Martin looked around wildly. The ion rifle was still on maximum yield and he fired madly at both stairways, desperately trying to hold off the advancing forces. Chen opened one of the cases and pulled out a squad automatic weapon and began firing at the stairs, trying to stop the nightmare army from coming in. They were closing in from both sides. Everything that happened, them sealing the stargate, the alien village staying behind to fight the Quinterans, booby-trapping the jungle in front of the temple, all they did was buy them more time. It only added more sand to the hourglass to their deaths. And now, the sand had nearly run out.

-.-

Nova groaned in pain, trying to keep her head above the puddle she had fallen in. She then realized that it was a puddle of blood, her blood. Either she was hurt a lot worse than she thought or the trip through the ark was a lot rougher than she expected. Either way, she was fighting just to remain conscious. Terra tried sitting up but felt a burning pain in her stomach. The last thing she remembered was getting shot…a lot. She felt light headed and her vision was blurring. It didn't matter anyways. The chamber she was in was dark, almost looking like a cave, and she could barely see what was in front of her. Her body was soaked but she couldn't tell if it was sweat or blood. Nova crawled forward, trying to feel her way around. It may be pointless but she wasn't going to just sit there and die.

Her head was spinning. Or was it the planet? She couldn't tell. Her mind was fogging up. Was this it? Nova knew she had fallen through the portal. Was this all that was on the other side, an empty cave? Major Nova knew that the chance of them finding the Furlings was slim but now it seemed like a pointless search from beginning to end. Of course. SG-1 couldn't find the Furlings, what made her think that she could? They had just been chasing ghosts, going after something that was never there. No matter how hard she wanted it, it never existed.

She continued crawling through the dark chamber, hoping that there was more than it looked but she knew she was going to die. She could already imagine what people would say about her once she was gone. Major Terra Annabelle Nova, sent to find the Furlings, sacrificed an entire alien village and her team to accomplish this goal and still failed. She would laugh at her own stupidity if it didn't hurt so much. She should've just chosen to run.

She must've lost more blood than she thought; the floor felt like it was shaking. It was just then she realized that it wasn't because of blood loss. The floor was shaking, dust coming down from the ceiling, loose gravel shifting. In fact the entire chamber was shaking. Nova looked up, watching as something rose from a giant chasm in front of her, a massive figure rising up before her, covered in shadows and blurred by her ever worsening vision. She couldn't tell if it was a giant creature or a giant ship. Four enormous lights shone onto her from the massive figure, like four glowing eyes staring down at her from the black silhouette. She didn't know if it was a ship or a huge alien but she knew that something was in front of her, looking down on her. She had stood before the Nox once and felt as if she was a student standing before a teacher. Standing before this, it felt like she was in the presence of a god, or at the very least in the presence of something she could not even hope to fathom.

_"You have come too far." _

This voice seemed to echo through the air yet she knew it was completely silent. She couldn't explain it. It was as if someone was whispering in her ear but there was no one beside her. It was as if the air itself had spoken to her. She looked up at the giant figure. She had already encountered several pointless races in her quest. This was just another one.

"What are you?" she asked. What she really wanted to say we 'help me', but she didn't want to just trust a random alien with her life.

_"We are the ghosts of a bygone era, one that wishes to be forgotten."_

"I'm sorry," Nova said, her body weakening with every second. "We didn't mean to disturb you; we only came here looking for the Furlings."

_"One of the many names known throughout the stars long ago. We have not used it for such a long time." _

"What?" Nova coughed in confusion. She was dying in front of them and not in the mood for riddles. Finally, she realized what this alien meant.

_"We are the Furlings."_

Terra put her hand to her head. She was slipping and slipping fast. But there something more. She wasn't just slipping. Something was being dragged. The world was fading out. She let out a yell as a jolt of pain shot through her body. It almost felt like an electric shock. She picked herself up off the floor, wriggling her fingers. Whatever happened, her muscles were tingling. She then realized that she was now back on her feet. She looked down in surprise. Everything had changed. She was now wearing her off duty clothing, a purple T-shirt and jeans. She was also fine. Her wounds were gone. The entire scene had changed. She was no longer in a dark cave but seemed to be standing on a shimmering ocean of water. She was standing on the surface of glowing water. Nothing was making sense. What made even less sense was who she saw walking across the ocean towards her. It was herself: Terra Nova. The doppelganger looked at her, opening its mouth to speak, the voice she had heard earlier coming from its lips.

_"Your body was failing, a vessel that was damaged. The mind is what matters. We have entered it so we may remove our existence from your memory. You will return to where you came with no recollection of what has happened." _Her doppelganger turned around to leave. It was there to deliver a message and it had finished. They were going to wipe her memory and she could not stop them. People had died so she could get to where she is now, she was not letting this opportunity get away.

"Wait!" Terra said loudly. "Why are you doing this?" Her copy froze in its tracks, considering the question. It turned around, looking at Nova out of the corner of its eyes. Terra Nova was tired of all the hesitation from all the Alliance races. The Ancients refused to interfere, the Asgard waited nearly a decade before trusting Earth, and the Nox were always trying to hide. "Why are all the members of the Alliance so reluctant to share technology with us? Why are you hiding?"

_"Why do you pursue us?"_

"'Cause we want to meet you, to form an alliance, trade knowledge and technology. To be able to defend our planet and understand the universe." Nova blinked but realized that her doppelganger was now gone. She looked around, fearing that the Furlings had ignored her and just left. She soon spotted someone else. It was Corin, walking across the surface of the water. But, Nova knew better. The Furlings were using the image of Corin to communicate.

_"You still seek this despite what you have seen from the Quinterans. You still ask for technology despite seeing what could happen in the distant future. We have witnessed the actions of your race. We acknowledge the potential you possess. It is the same potential the Quinterans had and you have seen how they squander it."_ The illusion of Corin walked past. These humans from earth would not understand. They were not there at the beginning. But, they can see it as if they were. He could peer into Terra Nova's head, he could see that out of all the humans that could be here, she might understand why. It might be work explaining to her.

Nova looked around as the illusion of Corin suddenly also disappeared, replaced by one of Charles Martin now. He was sitting down beside her, looking up at the sky nostalgically.

_"Tens of millions of years ago, the universe was teeming with life. We were the apex and assisted younger races in their evolution, giving them technology to use. We discovered three other races who were near our level of technology. The Ancients had just fled their home galaxy and were expanding to the corners of the universe. The Nox had just ended a once brutal civil war and wished to start over as a more peaceful race. And the Asgard were seeking a solution to a minor issue in their cloning process before it becomes more serious. After thousands of years of attempting to communicate we succeeded in creating a language all could understand. Thousands of years passed and we chose to form an alliance hoping to find other races near our level and assisting those who weren't. We were the Alliance of the Four Apex Races, the Alliance of Four Great Races. We spread across the universe, creating a vast empire in the hopes all could benefit."_

"But then something went wrong," Nova said, filling in the blanks.

_"In our ignorance, we gave a more primitive race technology they were not ready for." _

Nova sat down next the illusion of Martin merely to find out it had changed. It was now an illusion of Donavan, still sitting in his wheelchair as the Furlings used the hallucination to continue explaining.

_"We understood how to use the technology and avoid its dangers. This younger race was far more impulsive and released entity from a darker plane of existence that then spread across the universe, wiping out all that stood in its way. This thing had been released on the galaxy because we gave technology to a race that was not ready for it; we took it upon ourselves to fix our mistake. But, the dark entity would not go quietly. To combat the Ancients, it created a virulent disease aimed at killing humans. To combat the Asgard, it subtly sabotaged their cloning process, increasing their rate of genetic degradation, damaging their biology, and making it impossible for them to transfer their minds into anything other than an already degrading Asgard body. To combat the Nox, it countered their ability to hide. And to combat the Furlings, it assaulted the telepathic network that we relied on. Over the course of a thousand years, we waged war on this dark entity." _

Nova watched a glowing illusion of several galaxies floating above her. One by one they began to dim and fade out.

_"We finally vanquished this entity but the damage was done. Some galaxies were completely void of life while others had their civilizations reduced to the Stone Age. Countless dead because of what we had done. In an attempt to undo the damage we had wrought, the Ancients reseeded the galaxies with life…human life."_

"They gave birth to us," Nova breathed. She looked beside her, surprised to see an illusion of Steven Chen now.

_"The Furlings and the Asgard did the same. Due to their rapid degradation, the Asgard used a hybrid in their place. However, we were now hesitant to interact with the younger races or give them our technology."_

"Is that why you won't give us technology?" Nova asked. "Is it because you are afraid we might do the same?" The illusion of Chen looked down at the ground sadly. Terra watched as the illusion faded away and she was once again alone. Soon, an illusion of Major Jennifer Hailey appeared. Before Nova's eyes, the world changed. They were now standing in a green field in front of a stargate. The sun was out, making it a beautiful day.

_"After the defeat of the dark entity, many Ancients ascended to escape the plague. Others continued on. Millions of years passed. In this galaxy, a human world had found the stargate and were attempting to unlock its secrets. They sought allies and technology to defend themselves but they were still very primitive in comparison to us. Despite this, they did what they could to defend themselves and others." _

Nova watched as the stargate suddenly activated. Soon, soldiers began marching through, small rovers stacked with supplies rolling through. Nova examined the boxes tied to the rovers. They were medical supplies. Nova followed the rovers through the hallucinated scenery to a village. She watched as the soldiers began unloading all the crates, taking out food and medical equipment, handing out the food to starving villagers. At first she thought she was looking at an SGC operation. Then she realized that the uniforms and weapons were different. These were Quinterans. This was a look into the past.

_"The remaining Ancients recognized their potential but were hesitant in sharing technology." _

"But they did eventually," Nova interrupted. "The Quinterans and Ancients became allies. Eventually, the Ancients lost their war with the Wraith and recalled all their people from all the galaxies to return to Earth. Some died out, others ascended. Before they did, they declared the Quinterans the fifth race before ascending." The illusion of Jennifer Hailey looked at her with a smirk that made Nova feel like she actually was completely ignorant. When Terra thought about it, she was. She had no idea how good-hearted the Quinterans used to be or how savage they had become. But, she'd get an idea soon enough.

The scene changed again, a glimpse of the distant future. Terra Nova's been through a lot of conflicts before but this was something different. She immediately began gagging from the smoke in the air. She covered her mouth and took a step forward but nearly tripped. She looked down, her eyes widening when she realized the ground was completely covered in corpses. She spotted Quinteran soldiers charging through the streets, gunning down everyone they saw, parading down the street with the corpses of their enemies. She looked up and saw that the sky was ablaze, their ships, upgraded with Ancient technology, easily tearing apart the opposition. The Illusion of Jennifer Hailey looked at Nova through the massacre.

_"This is what became of them. The Ancients finally learned their lesson. This would be the last time the Ancients would interfere with the affairs of those lower than them." _

"And that is also why you are all so hesitant to share technology with us," Nova concluded. She then realized that even the illusion of Jennifer Hailey had vanished. She looked around wildly. The hallucinated environment she saw had changed back to the shimmering ocean they stood on. This time an illusion of Colonel Samantha Carter came walking across the water.

"Why didn't the Ancients just stop the Quinterans?" Nova asked the illusion of her mentor.

_"Despite their primitive origins, the Quinterans had become a galactic power. The Ancients feared the unforeseen long term consequences of eliminating something that now held so much power. Every attempt to help merely resulted in more death. It was best not to interfere."_

"Is that why you all hid?" She remembered that Corin said that the Furlings had intentionally hidden themselves. She was beginning to understand why.

_"We feared what might happen should other races find our technology. The Nox had always believed in noninterference and hid themselves. We chose to do the same. We took what remained of our civilization and hid them in the dark corners of the universe. We did what we could to remove traces of our existence so that few would know of us and fewer could find us. However, our purge was imperfect and some evidence remained."_

"If you wanted to hide, why did the key lead us here?" she asked. She remembered the key seemed to communicate with Corin, tell him where the temple was.

_"The key which opens the portal was built to telepathically communicate with the user, it was part of its design when it was created so long ago. To influence others, we rely on another device."_

Nova stepped back as a large obelisk rose out of the water, an Eye of the Furlings. Nova glanced at what was now an illusion of General Jack O'Neill.

_"We left behind artifacts that would serve as our eyes. When it became necessary, we would use our telepathic abilities to alter the memories of those who came close to finding us. Many have come in search of us, none have succeeded…until now." _

"Then where does that leave us?" Nova asked curiously. "The Asgard did entrust us with the title of Fifth Race."

_"Just as the Ancients entrusted the Quinterans with the same title. We cannot foresee what will happen. We will not take the risk. Earth itself has become a frightening power in two galaxies and has shown its capacity for pointless bloodshed. We cannot let you have our technology. Regardless of what the Asgard believe, your kind is still too young." _Terra looked around, realizing the illusion of O'Neill was gone. Instead, a new figure was walking up to her, a familiar face she had not seen in a long time. Seeing this face, she didn't know whether to smile in nostalgia, chuckle in amusement, or sob in horror.

It was her, Terra Nova. Except, it wasn't. It was a face she hasn't seen since she was a teenager, a face she only saw when she looked in the mirror.

"Hello, Theresa Naves." Terra Nova remembered that this was who she used to be. Theresa Naves was her original name, but she had officially changed it before joining the military, the start of a new life, the life she lived now. The teenage girl walked with a twist in her hips, walking on ridiculously tall high heels. Fishnets covered her legs, leading up to a tiny leather miniskirt that was so small it was more like a ribbon than an article of clothing. By this time, she didn't know what she would call what she wore for a shirt, only that she ordered it five sizes too small. So much makeup covered her face it looked like it was ceramic. Terra Nova never thought she would see this person ever again. She wished she wouldn't. She had changed her name in an attempt to forget the person she used to be, joined the military to make up for the things she did.

"You're right," Nova admitted. "There's no way to know what the future has in store. I can't guarantee you that Earth won't go the same as the Quinterans. Hell, I can't guarantee you the politicians on Earth aren't transforming into that already; we came to this galaxy for one reason and the IOA sent us here for another. Yes, there's a chance we can go bad. There's also a chance we can stay on the right path. There's a chance we can restore everything that you've lost."

_"You remain confident that your people will not squander their potential?"_

"I didn't say that. I'm not even saying that you start handing out blueprints to the stuff you have. I'm just asking for a chance. Because you're right; Earth might go bad in the future. Or it could stay good. Don't just dismiss us because you fear what could happen; give us a chance to prove that we can live up to our potential and not squander it."

Nova let out a gasp. The hallucinated world she was in had vanished. She was awake, lifting her head out of the puddle that formed under her. She looked up at the giant figure that still looked down on her with four giant lights. Then she noticed more giant figures all around the chamber she was in, all of them looking down on her with their four giant lights. Were these giant aliens? Ships? Or maybe buildings? She soon felt herself slipping back into the hallucination. She opened her eyes and found herself back on that shimmering ocean, an illusion of Terra Nova standing before her.

_"You truly believe in what you fight for?"_

"Belief is irrelevant," Nova said. "How we act on that belief is what matters." The illusion looked down at the ground, taking a moment to consider everything that has been said.

_"We will give you your chance. We will watch; we will observe. Your actions will determine what will happen. Today, we will take action. We will give you safe passage to the stargate. The Quinterans must not know of our presence. They will pay for their actions…with blood." _

_-.-_

Martin blindly fired at one stairwell while Chen grabbed a SAW from the case and fired at the other. They weren't trying to hit anything, try were just laying down suppressive fire, trying to keep the Quinterans hidden behind cover. Suddenly, the portal activated, a red vortex filling the ark. Terra Nova stumbled out, her body drenched with water, and the portal closed once more.

"Terra!" Chen yelled in surprise. He looked around, making sure the enemy soldiers were still forced behind cover.

"Did we do it wrong?!" Chen asked, pulling her to her feet and supporting her with his shoulder. She was completely drenched as if she just came climbing out of a pool. But, her wounds were gone. The bullets holes in her clothing were still there and her uniform was soaked with blood but she was unscathed. "You were only gone for a minute."

Nova put her hand to her head. It felt like she was gone for an hour. Even if the telepathic conversations with the Furlings took place in a matter of milliseconds, she was still feeling around the cave for about five minutes.

"Major!" Martin called out in surprise, not expecting her to ever return. But, this distraction cost him. That brief moment he stopped shooting, one of the Quinteran soldiers rushed in, bolting towards Martin at impossible speeds. It pulled out its hatchet and slammed it into his stomach, pulling him to the ground.

The Quinterans were now charging into the room. Chen looked up, not sure what to do. There was no hesitation; the enemy aimed their guns and prepared to fire. Chen closed his eyes, preparing himself to be killed.

Then, something happened. At that moment, one of the Quinteran soldiers aimed his gun at his comrade and fired. The gunshot echoed through the chamber, the corpse hitting the floor. All the Quinterans looked at the traitor in surprise. Before they can react, another Quinteran did the same, aiming at a comrade and firing. The room dissolved into chaos as the Quinterans began opening fire on each other. Some of them ditched their guns and pulled out their knives, machetes, or hatchets instead, lunging at their former comrades with their inhuman speeds.

"C'mon!" she yelled at her team. Corin was cowering on the floor, still not used to the violence. She helped him to his feet as Chen helped an injured Charles Martin backed up to join his friends and they rushed for the exit. Nova knew this was the Furling's doing. The final race in the Alliance had turned the Quinterans on each other. She couldn't tell who was under the control of the Furlings and who wasn't, but they had to get to the gate.

Even the Quinterans outside had begun fighting each other. Wolf Pack kept their heads low as bullets streaked through the air. They even paused for a moment when they saw one tackle his comrade to the ground and begin viciously hacking at him with a hatchet before running off to find another. It was an army fighting itself, each Quinteran turning on everything in sight.

"What the…?!" Martin stuttered when he saw a stargate right in front of the temple. It was supposed to be several kilometers south, but instead it was right here. "How did-"

"Does it matter?" Nova snapped, quickly running up to the DHD and dialing. Either there had always been a stargate hidden there or the Furlings moved it. Either way, they were going to use it. The Quinteran battlecruiser was beginning to ascend into the clouds above the rising sun. She didn't know if it was going to leave or if the Furlings were going to find another way to destroy it but she knew it wasn't going to be a problem anymore.

Nova dialed the gate address and the stargate activated. She watched as a Quinteran soldier tossed his former comrade into the unstable vortex before rushing off to continue fighting. Terra ignored the chaos and put in the code into her GDO.

"Go!" she yelled. The Quinteran force had already been cut in half and the remaining soldiers were still fighting each other. Before going through the gate Terra Nova looked back at the temple, a voice echoing through the building, coming out of the jungle, reverberating from the ground, thundering through the air, _"You will have your chance; we will be watching"_

-.-

Even after being checked out from the infirmary, Nova still occasionally put her hand to her stomach, still surprised that the gunshot wound that was there is now gone.

"I told you, I couldn't see them," Nova repeated to Martin, who had been pestering her ever since they got back. His bandage was unseen beneath his shirt but he could still walk with her.

"C'mon, not even one glimpse?" he asked. "You couldn't tell if they were koalas or not? Teddy bears? Teletubbies? Ewoks?" Nova paused as she entered the gate room.

"Tinky Winky could've been doing the Irish jig in front of me and I wouldn't have known," she said. "I'm sorry, I had lost too much blood." Charles groaned. They met the Furlings but they didn't get a chance to see what they looked like. "General Mercer's called a meeting with all the department heads. I gotta go."

She turned and jogged for the conference room. She knew what this meeting was about, they discussed it in Wolf Pack's debriefing. The Furlings may have saved their lives but it looked like they would not be sharing technology. But, they did not leave completely empty handed.

The U-shaped conference table was a welcome sight after a long and tiring day. The debriefing was done but General Mercer had one last meeting to talk about and Nova was the last member. The Department Heads were all gathered. There were some new faces but a lot of familiar ones.

"Now…everyone is here," Mercer said. "As you are all aware, Major Nova was successful in making first contact with the Furlings." At that mention, the room broke into applause. Nova stood there sheepishly, not sure what to do. She didn't mind applauding others but she had no idea what to do when applauded.

"To the task at hand," Mercer interrupted, the applause dying down. "Our contact with the Furlings was brief, they did not wish to share their technology with us, and it appears the Furlings have now made their planet inaccessible by stargate. However, the Furlings gave us a gift." Mercer slid forward a small box. Nova was no in suspense as Mercer opened the container, she knew what was inside. She found them stuffed in her vest pockets when she returned through the Furling archway.

"Two power sources," the General explained, holding up a crystal cylinder. "Enough for a single round trip to Earth and back." Silence fell upon the room when this was heard. They left thinking they may never get a chance to go home. Now, it was in their grasps. "You are the heads of your departments; tell your subordinates. Spread the word. They have a chance to return home."

The news spread like wildfire, as did the plan for what to do. They couldn't just leave the city empty, but they couldn't pick and choose who to send back and who to leave behind. This may be their only chance to ever see Earth again. Only those who volunteered to stay would watch over Millennium. Corin Nevec was the first volunteer along with Steven Chen. Everyone else was going home. It was only a brief visit so they didn't pack any personal items. They only wanted to see their families again. It took a week to prepare for that day and sort out who was going and when they were going to return. Food had to be put in storage, computers shut down or put on standby, security measures placed so that the city could be defended by two people. The power source had to be properly installed so they could dial Earth. It took a week to prepare, a very long week before the day to return to Earth could come. But, that day came.

The expedition gathered in the gate room, everyone who was returning to Earth. The biggest bag they brought was a suitcase containing files and data. The place was packed. The hole behind the stargate had to get taped off in fear someone would accidentally fall out of it.

"You're going too, General?" Commander Umar asked. The old man had packed his files and prepared himself for the trip.

"I do have a few things to deliver," Mercer said with a smile before adding darkly: "Besides, I have some politicians to talk to."

Military personnel, doctors, scientists, archaeologists, they all gathered to go back to Earth. The Furlings may have refused to share any advanced technology, but this was the greatest gift any of them could ask for.

Nova stared at the inactive stargate, the prospect of going home still not sunk in yet. Even then, it was only a brief visit. But, brief was better than none.

"Hey," Martin said, walking up to his superior. "You ok?" Nova kept her eyes on the gate.

"Just that…we're all going back to see our families, but the men who've died aren't going to get the chance," she muttered. The Stargate Council had killed countless people in their attack. Once they gate back, word would spread that loved ones have returned from the Millennium Expedition. How many of them will be disappointed?

Corin Nevec and Steven Chen stood by the DHD. Donavan was usually the one dialing but the stairs in front of the gate were too short to install a ramp so it took him a full minute to wheel his way down to the gate room. Even Donavan wondered how his family will react when they find out that this expedition had cost him his ability to walk.

Corin looked at Steven, surprised that Chen had volunteered to stay behind.

"You don't have to do this," Nevec said. "Charles did give me access to his PS4." Chen raised a surprised eyebrow. At the start of the expedition they were permitted to bring personal items and could do as they pleased when off duty but Chen was surprised that Charles Martin had brought along a PS4.

"Hey, somebody has to make sure you don't burn the place down," Steven remarked. "Besides, I don't have any family…not on Earth anyways." Chen looked down at the gate room, right at Doctor Kara Osborn, when he said this.

"Doctor, Professor!" Mercer announced loudly, preparing his GDO and radio. "Are you ready up there?"

"Ready, General," Corin said.

"Dial it up!" Mercer ordered. Once they dialed Earth they were going to have to convince the SGC it was them and explain everything that was happening. They had a week, at most, to reunite with their loved ones before heading back to Caldwell 70. It wasn't much but it was all they could afford. This was the gift from the Furlings.

-.-

**_A/N: I decided to put the Author's notes last. Please review and tell me what you think. I have to say that this was the hardest chapter I've ever written. I just spent my entire spring break working on this. I had to look up several stargate timelines to put a backstory that could fit. The most difficult part was writing the Furlings themselves. I wanted to meet them. But, the best part of the Furlings is their intrigue. I wanted to leave some unknown that would make them still be mysterious and seem powerful. I was also unsure about the little epilogue here. I didn't want them to come back from their encounter empty-handed. _**


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